blacken
Pronunciation: [ˈblækən]
Context: "cooking"
(verb) to make something dark or blackened by burning or cooking it a lot. When you cook food at high heat, it can turn black on the outside.
Example
I prepared the steak and let it blacken on the grill for extra flavor.
Example
I tried to cook the chicken, but it did not blacken at all.
Example
Did you blacken the vegetables before adding them to the dish?
Context: "appearance"
(verb) to cause something to look dark, dirty, or damaged. It can happen because of dirt or because something is burned or stained.
Example
The soot from the fireplace didn't just blacken the walls; it gave them character.
Example
The rain cleaned the car, so it didn't blacken after the storm.
Example
What happened to the paper that made it blacken around the edges?
Context: "figurative expression"
(verb) to make something seem bad or evil. If you say negative things about someone, you can make them appear worse than they are.
Example
She tried not to blacken his reputation with lies.
Example
His kind actions did not blacken his name; people respected him more.
Example
Why do some people try to blacken the names of good leaders?