redden

verb

red·​den ˈre-dᵊn 

reddened; reddening ˈred-niŋ 

ˈre-dᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

: to make red or reddish

intransitive verb

: to become red

especially : blush

Synonyms

• bloom
• blush
• color
• crimson
• flush
• glow

Examples of redden in a Sentence

First-degree burns redden the skin.

Her face reddened when her name was announced.

Recent Examples on the Web

Turning the Dial In the fall of 2021, when the air grew crisp and the leaves reddened in central Ohio, Little John Cupp began feeling short of breath. —T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 23 Oct. 2024

Although three of the collar counties are swinging to the left, the fourth, Bucks, is reddening, which remains, in these last weeks of the race, a major cause for concern. —Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024

One drawing, by Miranda Barber, depicts a perfect rectangular storm of blood reddening the world’s rivers. —Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024

That crisp fall feeling could come from its Vancouver filming location, where the perpetual chill in the air lends itself to slouchy beanies and reddened noses. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 21 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

redden

verb

red·​den ˈred-ᵊn 

reddened; reddening ˈred-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to make or become red

especially : blush entry 1 sense 1