as in to grow
to become mature
pears ripening on the tree
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Recent Examples of ripen
After months of bilateral talks between the two countries, the moment was ripening for a provisional peace accord.
—
Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2025
To grow plumeria from seed, 9-10 months may elapse between pods ripening and splitting open, a process that will only happen if pods are left on the plant throughout this period.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025
Nature is rife with naturally occurring ethanol, particularly from ripening fruit, and that fruit in turn is consumed by various microorganisms and animal species.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
As plantains ripen, the sugar content increases as the starches break down into sugars.
—Emily Brown, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ripen
Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2025
To grow plumeria from seed, 9-10 months may elapse between pods ripening and splitting open, a process that will only happen if pods are left on the plant throughout this period.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025
Nature is rife with naturally occurring ethanol, particularly from ripening fruit, and that fruit in turn is consumed by various microorganisms and animal species.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
As plantains ripen, the sugar content increases as the starches break down into sugars.
—Emily Brown, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ripen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ripen
Verb
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Over the years, the couple gave parcels of the land away for churches, schools and hospitals for the community to grow.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
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Lawson-Remer cited the connection between education and clinical practice, and the ability to keep working while learning, as the key factors in making progress in the larger goal of significantly growing the local mental health care workforce.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The disease progressed to Alzheimer’s dementia in 2023.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
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In mitigation, Tottenham have built a squad that does possess the players to link the midfield and attack, but with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski both out injured for the coming months, there is a need for more midfield players to be braver when progressing the ball.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ripen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ripen. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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