whiten

• POS: Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: whit=en

CIDE DICTIONARY

whiten, v. i. [OE. whitenen; cf. Icel. hvītna.].

 To grow white; to turn or become white or whiter; as, the hair whitens with age; the sea whitens with foam; the trees in spring whiten with blossoms.  [1913 Webster]

whiten, v. t. 

 To make white; to bleach; to blanch; to whitewash; as, to whiten a wall; to whiten cloth.  [1913 Webster]
"The broad stream of the Foyle then whitened by vast flocks of wild swans."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- See Blanch.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

whiten, v.tr. & intr. make or become white.

Derivative

whitener n. whitening n.

THESAURUS

whiten

achromatize, besnow, blanch, bleach, bleach out, blench, blush, bowdlerize, chalk, change color, clean, clean out, clean up, cleanse, clear out, color, crimson, darken, decolor, decolorize, delouse, depurate, deterge, dim, discolor, drain, drain of color, dry-clean, dull, dust, dust off, etiolate, expurgate, extenuate, fade, fade out, flush, freshen, frost, fume, gloss over, glow, grizzle, grow pale, lighten, look black, lose color, lustrate, mantle, pale, peroxide, purge, purify, redden, reform, scavenge, silver, spruce, steam-clean, sugarcoat, sweep out, sweeten, tarnish, tidy, tone down, turn color, turn pale, turn red, turn white, varnish, veneer, wan, wash out, white, whitewash, wipe, wipe off, wipe out, wipe up

ROGET THESAURUS

whiten

Whiteness

VB be white, render white, whiten, bleach, blanch, etiolate, whitewash, silver.