- to become or cause to become weak or weaker
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
weak•en /ˈwikən/USA pronunciation
v.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to (cause to) become weak or weaker: [no object]The animal weakened and eventually died.[~ + object]A lack of resources will weaken our efforts.
weak•en
(wē′kən),USA pronunciation v.t.
v.i.
weak′en•er, n.
- to make weak or weaker.
- Phoneticsto change (a speech sound) to an articulation requiring less effort, as from geminate to nongeminate or from stop to fricative.
v.i.
- Phonetics, to become weak or weaker.
- weak + -en1 1520–30
- 1, 3. enfeeble, debilitate, enervate, undermine, sap, exhaust, deplete, lessen, diminish, lower, reduce, impair, minimize, invalidate.
- 1, 3. strengthen.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
weaken /ˈwiːkən/ vb
'to weaken' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):