as in to grow
to become mature
pears ripening on the tree
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Recent Examples of ripen
Tomato plants are rapidly growing vines that need support, especially once the heavy fruits begin to ripen.
—
Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 15 Mar. 2026
For example, serviceberries provide spring-ripening fruit, red-twig dogwoods provide summer fruit, while hawthorns and crabapples provide fruit in fall and winter.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
This variety is heat-tolerant and typically ripens later in summer, from July to August, says McCabe.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
Some tricks to slow down ripening and prevent bruising include separating bananas from the bunch, hanging them from a hook, and wrapping their stems in plastic wrap to prevent the release of ethylene gas.
—Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ripen
Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 15 Mar. 2026
For example, serviceberries provide spring-ripening fruit, red-twig dogwoods provide summer fruit, while hawthorns and crabapples provide fruit in fall and winter.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
This variety is heat-tolerant and typically ripens later in summer, from July to August, says McCabe.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
Some tricks to slow down ripening and prevent bruising include separating bananas from the bunch, hanging them from a hook, and wrapping their stems in plastic wrap to prevent the release of ethylene gas.
—Heather Riske, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ripen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ripen
Verb
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In recent weeks, a growing number of business leaders in Russia have voiced concern about the sweeping restrictions and urged authorities to take a more moderate approach.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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But there is a more general dread about human vulnerability to technology—a growing existential fear that people are losing the authorship and agency of their own lives to, particularly, artificial intelligence—that will be reflected in an avalanche of related negligent-design legal claims.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even in the oil market, where prices jumped above $100 per barrel after ceasefire talks over the weekend failed to end the war, prices pared their leaps as Monday progressed.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
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RevMed said its daily pill, daraxonrasib, met all primary and secondary endpoints in a trial of people whose cancer had already progressed on another treatment.—
Angelica Peebles,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ripen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ripen. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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