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Definition of "christen" [chris•ten]

  • To baptize into a Christian church. (verb-transitive)
  • To give a name to at baptism. (verb-transitive)
  • To name: christened the kitten "Snowball.” (verb-transitive)
  • To name and dedicate ceremonially: christen a ship. (verb-transitive)
  • To use for the first time: christened the new car by going for a drive. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "christen" in a sentence
  • "Me, on the other hand, I like to be creative and "christen" things what I like."
  • "As for your admonition to allow a creator to "christen" their own creation, I have no problem with that provided there is no contextual conflict with an already existing naming convention."
  • "Sculptor David Adickes will 'christen' his latest work (it's not an unveiling because the statues are too big to veil) Thursday night at his studio."