heightenheight‧en /ˈhaɪtn/ ●○○ verb [intransitive, transitive] 
There are fears that the march will heighten racial tension. Increased levels of fat in the diet could heighten the risk of cancer.heighten (somebody’s) awareness (of something) (=make people realize something more clearly) The case has heightened public awareness of the problem of sexual harassment.
VERB TABLE
heighten
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | heighten |
| he, she, it | heightens | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | heightened |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have heightened |
| he, she, it | has heightened | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had heightened |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will heighten |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have heightened |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am heightening |
| he, she, it | is heightening | |
| you, we, they | are heightening | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was heightening |
| you, we, they | were heightening | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been heightening |
| he, she, it | has been heightening | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been heightening |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be heightening |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been heightening |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Fears of an invasion were heightened by long-range bomb attacks.
- Publicity has heightened awareness of the threats to the environment.
- The divorce heightened speculation about a possible second marriage.
- Trade tends to be protected when international tensions heighten.
- McKenna had me look skyward to help release a burst of alpha waves, the ones that make you heighten your awareness.
- Progress, as expected, was slight, although everyone left with a heightened sense of urgency about the bargaining ahead.
- Some observers say this is due to a heightened fear of crime.
- The characters have a heightened and highly emotional response to events, actions and sentiments.
- The concentration of labour both facilitated organization among workers and heightened the political significance of labour protest.
- To heighten his own flow of adrenaline, he ignores the advice of friends who urge him to wear a reserve chute.
- Workplace 2000 demands a heightened quantity of leadership, not just a heightened quality.
Longman Language Activatorto make feelings become stronger
· Vague explanations of her illness only increased her fear and anxiety.· Some analysts say the new law could increase expectations of an economic recovery.· The cut in interest rates will help to increase confidence in the housing market.
to make something such as someone's determination or belief increase so that it is even stronger than it was before: · The quarrel only served to strengthen my resolve to start out on my own.· A poor harvest in 1842, and the imminence of winter, strengthened their determination.· Woolley felt certain that he had made an important discovery and his conviction was strengthened as more evidence came to light.
if something heightens knowledge, fears, the effect of something etc, it makes it increase so that it is felt more strongly: · Publicity has heightened awareness of the threats to the environment.· The divorce heightened speculation about a possible second marriage.· Fears of an invasion were heightened by long-range bomb attacks.
to increase a feeling or problem, so that it becomes worse: · I didn't want to add to the confusion, so I stayed quiet.· Adding to the burden are the continuing costs of German reunification.· Natural catastrophes like droughts have also added to the problems of the continent.add insult to injury informal (=to make a bad situation that you have caused much worse than it was before): · She runs off with another man, and to add insult to injury demands huge sums in alimony.
if something raises people's hopes, consciousness etc, it makes them more hopeful, conscious etc: · It's the first school in Scotland to become self-governing, and has raised deep concerns in the local community.· The human rights campaign has raised public awareness of the torture going on in the country.
to make feelings of doubt, worry, hope etc grow stronger: · The President's absence from the May Day parade has fuelled speculation that he is seriously ill.· There are growing fears for the safety of the kidnap victims -- fears that have been fuelled by rumours of new terrorist threats.
to become stronger, angrier etc than before · As the days passed, Martha became more worried. · As you get older, your joints and muscles tend to get weaker.· I knew that if I resisted, he would get even angrier.· The mysterious phone calls were becoming more frequent.
to gradually get more of a useful or valuable quality: · The festival has been growing in popularity.· The business has continued to grow in productivity and profitability.· She gradually gained in self-confidence and ability.
use this to show that there is more of a quality or feeling than at another time: · It will gradually become more cloudy later in the day.more ... than: · I guess Marlene is more neurotic than she used to be.a lot/much/far more: · Everything was much more difficult than it is these days.more and more: · The train went more and more slowly, and finally stopped completely.· We became more and more determined to succeed.
if someone or something is becoming increasingly difficult, important etc, they are continuing to become more difficult, more important etc as time passes: · As she watched him, Jody felt increasingly sure that she had made the right choice.become/get increasingly: · It is getting increasingly difficult for the US to remain competitive in consumer products.
heightened feelings are felt more strongly: · heightened concerns about crime and violence in schools· A heightened awareness of healthy eating may lead to considerable benefits.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
(=make people realize something more clearly) The case has heightened public awareness of the problem of sexual harassment.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The case has heightened public awareness of the problem of sexual harassment. (=more than usual)· There is heightened security around Heathrow following the bomb threats.
(=greater than before)· a time of heightened tension between the two countries
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Should Gatting and his crew receive their paroles one's sympathy for refuseniks like Rob Bailey can only heighten.· The stepped-up Republican attack against Mr Rubin only heightened investors' concern over the budget stalemate in Washington.· Excerpts from the book proposal, published on Inside.com, a gossipy website, only heightened the mystery.· The added wrinkle of possible impeachment proceedings only heightened investors' concern over the budget stalemate in Washington.· Hoddle's refusal to deny that he's about leave has only heightened the suspicion that he is.· These defeats only heighten the fact that victory today is vital.
· And the protesters' anger was heightened when Environment Secretary Michael Howard refused to see them about their fears.· His concern was heightened when he saw a local trouble-maker, a man called Slatter.
NOUN· Police hope the bus advertising campaign will help heighten public awareness of Operation Blade.· Despite heightened public awareness in the last decade, the need for donated organs still far exceeds the supply.· Obviously, television has heightened awareness of the sport, but that is only half the story.· McKenna had me look skyward to help release a burst of alpha waves, the ones that make you heighten your awareness.· Yet the very decision not to touch only served to heighten the awareness of what could happen when they did.· This will heighten your awareness of little-word buildup, and help you revise quickly.· This week it has launched the Depression Awareness Week Nationwide campaign to inform and heighten public awareness about depression.· Gary McCaleb, mayor of Abilene, Texas, said Brown could heighten awareness about the importance of city government.
· The army takeover has heightened international concern.· To heighten concern about the Convention, Broken Promise could not have come out at a better time.
· The passive role of television viewers simply heightens its effect.
· These defeats only heighten the fact that victory today is vital.
· But for the true enthusiasts that simply heightened the sense of anticipation.· His sense of the present moment heightened, and his sense of history and context diminished.· And the team talks he had first started at Leeds heightened their sense of involvement.· The silence on the terraces outside the monastery heightens the sense of remove from the everyday world.· Progress, as expected, was slight, although everyone left with a heightened sense of urgency about the bargaining ahead.· Those who stayed at Black Mountain and went through the fire together developed a heightened sense of kinship.· As always, the pleasure was heightened by the sense of guilt that accompanied it.· Studying the pictures to heighten their sense of what the words say.
· The deadlock in electing a president heightened the political tension in the country.· Both were involved in high-profile incidents last semester that heightened racial tensions on campus.· Another area of heightened tension is the controversy over the draft of the new constitution proposed by Mr Mugabe.· The upshot of all this was to heighten the military tension on the divided peninsula.· To some extent, the resistance to Lee reflects the heightened partisan tension in Washington this fall.· But the case has raised eyebrows if not heightened tensions.· The succession struggle is going to heighten tensions between the party's fundamentalist and gradualist factions.· The organizers had strongly denied government accusations that the protest was an attempt to heighten political tensions.
VERB· Thursday's hike in interest rates had served only to heighten that conviction.· Verbal exchanges in the days leading up to the opening ceremony had served only to heighten the interest in the event.
WORD FAMILYnounheightheightsadjectiveheightenedverbheighten
if something heightens a feeling, effect etc, or if a feeling etc heightens, it becomes stronger or increases SYN intensify: There are fears that the march will heighten racial tension. Increased levels of fat in the diet could heighten the risk of cancer.heighten (somebody’s) awareness (of something) (=make people realize something more clearly) The case has heightened public awareness of the problem of sexual harassment.