fatten

verb

fat·​ten ˈfa-tᵊn How to pronounce fatten (audio)
fattened; fattening fa-tə-niŋ How to pronounce fatten (audio)
ˈfat-niŋˈ

transitive verb

1
a
: to make fat, fleshy, or plump
especially : to feed (an animal) for slaughter
b
: to make more substantial
2
: to make fertile

intransitive verb

: to become fat
fattener
ˈfa-tə-nər How to pronounce fatten (audio)
ˈfat-nər
noun

Examples of fatten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After using the summer to feed and fatten up in Alaska, the whales migrate to Mexico in the winter to breed and give birth. Adrian Rodriguez, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025 Her mother’s pullets were raised clean on a green yard, on a menu of crushed corn and wayward bugs, not manufactured in the crowd and reek of a modern-day factory farm, fattened on fish meal. Rick Bragg, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2025 There is little sympathy in the Republican coalition right now for the NGOs that have fattened themselves at the federal trough. Jay Cost, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025 Last year the other four AL Central teams got to fatten up against the White Sox, who finished as the worst team in modern MLB history. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 2 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fatten

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fatten was circa 1552

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fatten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatten. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

fatten

verb
fat·​ten ˈfat-ᵊn How to pronounce fatten (audio)
fattened; fattening ˈfat-niŋ How to pronounce fatten (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
: to make or become fat
fattener noun

More from Merriam-Webster on fatten

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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