English Dictionary |
STEEPEN
Pronunciation (US): | ![]() | (GB): | ![]() |
Dictionary entry overview: What does steepen mean?
• STEEPEN (verb)
The verb STEEPEN has 2 senses:
Familiarity information: STEEPEN used as a verb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Conjugation: |
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Past simple: steepened
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Past participle: steepened
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-ing form: steepening
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Sense 1
Meaning:
Become steeper
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
The mountain side has steepened
Hypernyms (to "steepen" is one way to...):
change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 2
Meaning:
Make steeper
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
The landslides have steepened the mountain sides
Hypernyms (to "steepen" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s something
Context examples
At the first outset, heavy, miry ground and a matted, marish vegetation greatly delayed our progress; but by little and little the hill began to steepen and become stony under foot, and the wood to change its character and to grow in a more open order.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
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