Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

lessen

[les-uhn] / ˈlɛs ən /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

However, the finding does not lessen the well-established dangers of tobacco use.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

Tens of thousands of customers in Los Angeles county alone were without power, as authorities de-energized power lines in a bid to lessen the possibility of electrical sparks that the heavy wind gusts could carry.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Lethal injections ultimately represent an attempt to lessen people’s horror at state executions by dressing up the process to make it appear painless and humane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Auto lovers have pushed for years to lessen emissions regulations for collector cars, arguing that these vintage vehicles are only driven short distances to parades and meet-ups where they deserve to be seen and cherished.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

To try to lessen these effects, the chart office would often “pencil in” a resource officer to the post of a senior officer who was sick or on vacation.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Further spikes of heat are likely, however as August wears on and the sun gradually loses some of its intensity, the likelihood of extreme temperatures in the high 30s lessens.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

But by supporting both new and used EVs, it lessens equity concerns — that only people with higher incomes are able to take advantage of the program, Michalek said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Maybe it lessens the phantom pain of not having that piece of himself on his shoulder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

As Microsoft’s control over OpenAI lessens, OpenAI has been strengthening its relationship with Amazon.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 13, 2026

The twang of the guitar grows louder, and the echo lessens.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

In these animals, DT-109 reduced liver inflammation and lessened the severity of MASH.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

From a product standpoint, PayPal has pushed passkey verification, which it said has lessened friction customers experience at checkout.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

In recent days, a number of MPs close to Burnham - who have no animus to the energy secretary - believe the likelihood of appointing Miliband has lessened significantly.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

The tech giants, which introduced consumer-friendly streaming options, have lessened the influence of traditional companies such as Paramount and Warner Bros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

The pull suddenly lessened and I was sure that he was gone, but the next instant I saw the string cutting the water in a wide circle.

From "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell

Anderson cited Saavedra’s “prompt and extensive cooperation” as a factor in lessening the sentence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

When it comes to our kids, our quest for optimization is not so much lessening anxiety as feeding it.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Shares of banks, airlines, retailers and other industries that had struggled since February have started breaking higher, lessening the market’s dependence on hot tech stocks and catching the attention of chart-watching technical strategists.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

It is one way of lessening that stressful situation of putting out a game, especially for a smaller studio with fewer people to test it.

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

I’d been expecting this, though I’d tried to make my message as unalarming as possible without lessening the urgency of it.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer


Vocabulary lists containing lessen

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training