thicken

/ˈθɪkən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈθɪkən/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈthi-kən/ (ame, mw)

thicken — verb

  • thickenpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • thickenshe / she / it
  • thickenedpast simple
  • thickening-ing form

1. to increase in thickness so that a liquid or soft substance becomes less runny a

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

to increase in thickness so that a liquid or soft substance becomes less runny and more solid, or to cause this change to happen.

例句

Sari thickened the gravy with a little cornflour.

transitive: thicken [food] with [ingredient]

The fog thickened as the evening went on.

intransitive: fog thickens over time

同義詞
  • coagulate

    more technical; describes blood, milk, or egg protein becoming semi-solid; not used for general cooking or fog

  • set

    used when a liquid becomes firm enough to hold its shape, like jelly or custard; implies a more complete change than thicken

  • condense

    to become denser or more concentrated, often by losing liquid; used for vapour and some liquids

反義詞
  • thin

    to make or become less thick; e.g. thin the paint with water, thin the sauce with stock

文法句型

thicken + object + with + ingredient

subject + thickens (intransitive)

let + object + thicken

用法筆記

Common in cooking contexts. When used transitively (thicken something), the ingredient that causes the change is often stated after 'with' — e.g. thicken the soup with cream, thicken the sauce with egg yolks. The intransitive use often appears in instructions: 'let it thicken' or 'cook until it thickens.' Can also describe natural phenomena like fog or mist becoming denser.

常見錯誤

❌I thickened the soup' (with no mention of how).
✅I thickened the soup with flour.
💡In recipes, it is natural to say which ingredient you used to thicken with.

2. said in the fixed expression 'the plot thickens' when new events make a confusin

2.動詞不及物C1
釋義

said in the fixed expression 'the plot thickens' when new events make a confusing situation even harder to understand or explain. The subject is always 'the plot' and the phrase is almost always used in the present or simple past tense as a fixed expression.

例句

The plot thickened when the detective found a second set of fingerprints at the scene.

fixed phrase: 'the plot thickened' + when-clause giving new information

Just as the committee thought the decision was final, the plot thickened with a new legal challenge.

同義詞
  • intensify

    more general; describes any situation or feeling becoming stronger, not limited to mystery or complication

  • deepen

    used for mysteries, relationships, or conflicts becoming more significant; similar register but not a fixed expression

反義詞
  • simplify

    to make a situation less complicated or easier to understand

文法句型

the plot thickens

the plot thickened

用法筆記

This is a fixed idiom that always uses 'the plot' as the subject. You cannot say 'the story thickens' or 'the mystery thickens' in standard English. The expression originated in 17th-century theatre criticism and is still used today in both serious news reporting and lighthearted conversation whenever new information makes a situation less clear. The present tense ('the plot thickens') often signals a dramatic or humorous reveal.

常見錯誤

❌This situation thickens every day.
✅The plot thickens every day.
💡Only 'the plot' can be the subject of this sense in standard English.