christened; christening ˈkri-sə-niŋ How to pronounce christen (audio)
ˈkris-niŋ
Synonyms of christennext

transitive verb

1
a
: baptize sense 1
was christened when he was three months old
b
: to name at baptism
They christened the baby Anne.
2
: to name or dedicate (something, such as a ship) by a ceremony that often involves breaking a bottle of champagne
3
: name sense 1
The newspaper christened her as the reigning Queen of Tennis.
4
: to use for the first time
They christened the new ballpark with a win.

Examples of christen in a Sentence

He was christened when he was three months old. They christened the baby Anna. The politician was chosen to christen a new ship. The newspaper has christened her as the reigning Queen of Tennis. They christened the new ball park with a win.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh christened Monday's gathering of the Group of 20 finance ministers in Asheville, North Carolina, by singing the gospel of growth. Kevin Breuninger,jeff Cox, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026 Perhaps Staluppi is waiting for Amazon’s new 007 movie title to be announced before christening his new Benetti. Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 26 Aug. 2026 The Disney Treasure was last christened in New York City nearly two years ago, in November 2024. Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 The barn at Heritage has been referred to as the Oyharzabal Barn, christened after the Basque family whose agricultural holdings once stretched throughout the region. Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for christen

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cristnen, from Old English cristnian, from cristen Christian, from Latin christianus

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of christen was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Christen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/christen. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

christened; christening ˈkris-niŋ How to pronounce christen (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
1
2
a
: to name at baptism
christened the baby Robin
b
: to name or dedicate in a ceremony like that of baptism
christen a ship
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