deepenverb
uk/ˈdiː.pən/us/ˈdiː.pən/deepen verb (DOWN)
[ I or T ] to make something deeper, or to become deeper:
One way of preventing further flooding would be to deepen the river bed.
The sea bed deepens here to 5,000 metres.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Enlarging and inflating
- balloon
- bloat
- blow
- blow sth up
- blow up
- broaden
- build (sb/sth) up
- dilate
- engorged
- enlarge
- expand
- flare
- fluff sth up
- inflate
- magnification
- puff
- pump sth up
- scale sth up
- stretch
- widen
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deepen verb (STRONGLY FELT)
C2 [ I or T ] to become more strongly felt or experienced, or to make something this way:
Over the years, her love for him deepened.
The economic crisis is deepening.
We must try not to deepen existing splits within the party.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Becoming and making stronger
- aggrandize
- boil
- boil up
- bolster
- cement
- concentrate
- concentrated
- dial
- fortify
- fuel
- gel
- harden
- jell
- power (sth) up
- reignite
- strengthen sb's hand idiom
- take hold idiom
- that'll put hairs on your chest! idiom
- tighten
- tighten sth up
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deepen verb (COMPLICATED)
C1 [ I or T ] to make something increase or become more serious:
It certainly helped to deepen my understanding of the situation.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Making things better
- a shot in the arm idiom
- add salt to sth idiom
- allay
- alleviate
- ameliorate
- heal
- make sb/sth over
- mitigate
- mollify
- more
- palliate
- redeem
- relieve
- salve
- spice
- spice sth up
- sting
- straighten
- straighten sb out
- streamline
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deepen verb (LOW)
[ I ] to become lower:
Boys' voices deepen in their early to mid-teens.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Describing qualities of sound
- (as) clear as a bell idiom
- background
- bass 1
- brassy
- consonance
- crackle
- creaky
- depth
- distortion
- easy
- grating
- harmonious
- inaudible
- low-pitched
- pitched
- pure
- rhythmic
- sonorous
- squelch
- tune
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deepen verb (DARK)
[ I ] to become darker:
The shadows deepened as the sun dropped below the horizon.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Darkness & becoming dark
- black
- blackness
- blackout
- dark
- darken
- dingy
- draw
- draw in
- dull
- half-light
- inky
- leaden
- moonless
- pitch-dark
- shade
- shadowy
- shady
- silhouette
- Stygian
- the gloaming
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