How to Use ripen in a Sentence

ripen

verb
  • The tomatoes finished ripening on the windowsill.
  • You can ripen the fruit by placing it in a paper bag and storing it at room temperature for a few days.
  • This will make the plant try to ripen the fruit on the plant faster.
    oregonlive, 15 Aug. 2020
  • When left to ripen, the seeds form beans that can be stored and used for soups and casseroles.
    Author: Adrian Higgins, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Mar. 2020
  • Do picked tomatoes ripen faster than ones on the plant?
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 June 2023
  • Yes, pulling the flowers off the plant will hasten the fruit that is now on it to ripen.
    oregonlive, 15 Aug. 2020
  • Figs do not ripen off the tree, so don’t pick them early.
    Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2023
  • The best way to ripen pears is to set them in a paper bag with a banana.
    Beth Dooley Special To The Star Tribune, Star Tribune, 4 Nov. 2020
  • And then many that did set and start to ripen cracked due to the extra moisture.
    Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 12 Dec. 2020
  • The problem is some of the berries ripen on the top half of the berry, but the bottom half remains red and hard.
    oregonlive.com, 9 Aug. 2019
  • The grain was just beginning to ripen and the fields were full of poppies.
    Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 29 Mar. 2022
  • Shafer decided to drop fruit that year—more than half the crop—just to ripen some of the crop.
    Sara L. Schneider, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2021
  • The release of ethylene gas will cause the fruit to ripen.
    Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Aug. 2020
  • But then comes autumn to harden the grain, / to warn it to ripen ahead of the winter.
    Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2021
  • In the past, the figs ripen in early July and have tasted fine.
    oregonlive, 10 July 2021
  • How to ripen a banana There are many ways to ripen a banana.
    Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2023
  • Also, some farms get picked out and will close a few days to allow the berries to ripen.
    Sue Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 8 June 2021
  • Grapes chandelier from the arbor and ripen on the tongue.
    Diane Mehta, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022
  • The apples and plums are also still ripening on the trees.
    Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 15 Aug. 2023
  • Our mango tree has a good crop this year that should ripen soon.
    Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 8 Aug. 2020
  • The grape buds and ripens early and is, therefore, in the danger zone for spring frosts.
    Per and Britt Karlsson, Forbes, 17 July 2023
  • The first fruits are expected to ripen by the end of June, Martin said.
    Katie Hunt, CNN, 23 May 2022
  • Thirty years ago the vines here struggled to ripen grapes.
    Jay McInerney, Town & Country, 6 June 2021
  • The mixture is then left to ripen in a cylindrical mold for three months to a year.
    María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2022
  • As pears ripen off the tree, their flesh gets sweeter, juicer and softer.
    Darlene Zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, 4 Sep. 2021
  • Ghost pepper fruits are 2 to 3 inches long and ripen from green to bright red.
    Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 June 2022
  • The heavy clusters of purple grenache and syrah grapes ripen quickly on vines in the harsh desert sun.
    Isabel Kershner, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2022
  • After the fruit ripens, that pseudostem dies and new pseudostems sprout from the base around it.
    Steve Bender, Southern Living, 20 Aug. 2019
  • Keep them separate as some berries ripen faster than others.
    Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2024
  • For the filling, Flavor King pluots, which ripen in late summer, are one of our favorites, rich, floral, and musky.
    Sunset Staff, Sunset Magazine, 15 Aug. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ripen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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