thickenthick‧en /ˈθɪkən/ verb [intransitive, transitive] 
Verb Table Examples
The fog was beginning to thicken. Thicken the soup by adding potatoes.thicken something with something a stew thickened with lentils and vegetables → the plot thickens at plot1(3)
Verb TableVERB TABLE
thicken
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | thicken |
| he, she, it | thickens | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | thickened |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have thickened |
| he, she, it | has thickened | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had thickened |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will thicken |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have thickened |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am thickening |
| he, she, it | is thickening | |
| you, we, they | are thickening | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was thickening |
| you, we, they | were thickening | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been thickening |
| he, she, it | has been thickening | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been thickening |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be thickening |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been thickening |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
Thesaurus- As soon as the mixture starts to boil add the cornstarch mixture and stir until the sauce is thickened.
- But the plot is about to thicken.
- Stir in the quark to thicken the sauce.
- The musk thickened as they approached the end of the hall.
- The women undressed and washed her, thickening the shadows with prayer.
Longman Language Activatorwhen a liquid gets thicker► thicken/get thicker
Collocations if a liquid thickens or you thicken it, it becomes more solid and does not flow very easily: · When the sauce is just starting to thicken, pour it over the meat.· Now boil the mixture until it thickens.· As the temperature goes down, the oil in the engine gets thicker.
► set if a liquid sets , for example some types of food or plastics, it becomes solid or almost solid after a period of time: · Leave the jam in a cool place to set.· It's best to pour your yoghurt into small containers before it sets.· Has the glue set yet?
► clot if blood clots , it becomes thicker and more solid: · Blood had clotted on the cuts on his back and on his arms.· Some types of snake venom prevent blood from clotting.
► congeal if a liquid congeals , it thickens and becomes unpleasantly sticky and almost solid as it becomes cooler: · Josie picked up a plate of congealed egg and beans, and scraped it into the bin.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► slightly
Word family· Leave the chocolate to stand until it cools and the mixture thickens slightly.· Bring to a boil and cook over high heat for 15 to 20 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly.· Add remaining ingredients and stir until the fondue thickens slightly.· Cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens slightly.· Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the onion is tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.· Bring to boil and cook and stir until slightly thickened.· Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.· Add remaining coconut milk and a pinch of salt and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
► up· Her life, she thought, seemed to be thickening up quite nicely.· How can we get our evergreen viburnum hedge to grow better and thicken up? &.· Blues solos often employ double-stops to thicken up the lines.· Right now the crowd has thickened up around the bar.· Cook away until the anchovies have vanished into a pulp and the sauce has thickened up slightly, possibly 30 minutes.
NOUN► plot· But then the plot began to thicken.
► sauce· Stir in the quark to thicken the sauce.· It is then thickened slightly for the sauce.
VERB► begin· The houses begin to thicken as the highway heads south.· Stir soup until it begins to thicken.· But then the plot began to thicken.· Strain the liquid into a bowl and place in a refrigerator until it begins to thicken.
WORD FAMILYnounthickthicknessthickenerthickeningthickoadjectivethickverbthickenadverbthickly
to become thick, or make something thick OPP thin: The fog was beginning to thicken. Thicken the soup by adding potatoes.thicken something with something a stew thickened with lentils and vegetables → the plot thickens at plot1(3)