verb

quicken

KWIHKN

verb

To make something happen faster or more quickly.

"The good news quickened her pace back to the office."

"Fear quickened his heartbeat as the footsteps got closer."

To become faster.

"Her breathing quickened as she neared the finish line."

To bring to life or stir into activity; to arouse or stimulate.

"The speech quickened the crowd's enthusiasm for the cause."

How to Use Quicken

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo speed up, or to stir something into livelier action.

Common mistake

Don't assume "quicken" only means "speed up" — it can also mean "to bring to life" or "to excite," an older sense still used in formal writing.

Common pairings

quicken the pace quicken one's pulse quicken interest

Word Forms

quickened past tense, quickened past tense, quickens plural, quickens plural, quickens singular, quickens singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The good news _____ her pace back to the office.

Etymology

Built from the old sense of "quick" meaning "alive" (as in "the quick and the dead") plus the verb-forming suffix "-en," so it originally meant "to bring to life."

Rhymes for quicken

sicken chicken stricken

See all rhymes for quicken →