livened; livening
ˈlī-və-niŋ 
ˈlīv-niŋ
: enliven
—often used with up
he … livened up the editorial page—
Current Biography
Current Biography
: to become lively
Synonyms
Examples of liven in a Sentence
He played some music to liven the atmosphere.
Recent Examples on the Web
Montana countered those deep thoughts by recalling how Simpson and teammate Al Cowlings helped liven up the locker room, even amid an 0-7 start to that 1979 season.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Eventually that season, the atmosphere livened up with cardboard cutouts in the seats.
—Billy Witz, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Sydney’s also sells 5-inch mini pies and the mix-and-match four packs of minis will liven up any event.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 18 Feb. 2024
So grab a quart and see how these buttermilk recipes can liven up your menu and add delight to your table.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2024
Baltimore hired artists to liven up curb extensions with geometric shapes and vibrant colors.
—Jeff McMurray, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2024
The listing suggests adding a stage to host concerts and plays to liven up the venue during the movie season.
—Detroit Free Press, 28 Feb. 2024
Also, every studio needs a big tub of random percussion instruments and bells and rattles and blocks that are great to mess around with and invariably find their way onto scores just to liven things up.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 15 Feb. 2024
This cocktail takes champagne, the quintessential celebratory tipple, and livens it up even more with a vibrant citrus cordial.
—Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2023
Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Eventually that season, the atmosphere livened up with cardboard cutouts in the seats.
—Billy Witz, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Sydney’s also sells 5-inch mini pies and the mix-and-match four packs of minis will liven up any event.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 18 Feb. 2024
So grab a quart and see how these buttermilk recipes can liven up your menu and add delight to your table.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2024
Baltimore hired artists to liven up curb extensions with geometric shapes and vibrant colors.
—Jeff McMurray, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2024
The listing suggests adding a stage to host concerts and plays to liven up the venue during the movie season.
—Detroit Free Press, 28 Feb. 2024
Also, every studio needs a big tub of random percussion instruments and bells and rattles and blocks that are great to mess around with and invariably find their way onto scores just to liven things up.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 15 Feb. 2024
This cocktail takes champagne, the quintessential celebratory tipple, and livens it up even more with a vibrant citrus cordial.
—Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'liven.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near liven
Cite this Entry
“Liven.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liven. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
liven
verb
liv·en
ˈlī-vən
livened; livening
ˈlīv-(ə-)niŋ
: to make or become lively
—often used with up
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