thicken Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb make thick or thicker
    inspissate.
    • Thicken the sauce
    • inspissate the tar so that it becomes pitch
  2. verb become thick or thicker
    inspissate.
    • The sauce thickened
    • The egg yolk will inspissate
  3. verb make viscous or dense
    inspissate.
    • thicken the sauce by adding flour

WordNet

Thick"en transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Thickened ; present participle & verbal noun Thickening
Definitions
  1. To make thick (in any sense of the word). Specifically: -- (a) To render dense; to inspissate; as, to thicken paint. (b) To make close; to fill up interstices in; as, to thicken cloth; to thicken ranks of trees or men. (c) To strengthen; to confirm. Obs.
    And this may to thicken other proofs. Shak.
    (d) To make more frequent; as, to thicken blows.
Thick"en intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To become thick. "Thy luster thickens when he shines by." Shak.
    The press of people thickens to the court. Dryden.
    The combat thickens, like the storm that flies. Dryden.

Webster 1913