How to Use quicken in a Sentence

quicken

verb
  • His pulse quickened at the thought of seeing her again.
  • The approach of the deadline quickened our sense of urgency.
  • The drama quickened when police arrived at the scene.
  • Stimulants can quicken the heart rate.
  • True, there have been slow spots, but the pace is quickening.
    — SFChronicle.com, 8 Mar. 2020
  • His heart rate might begin to quicken, or his palms would start to sweat.
    — Daniel Engber, Slate Magazine, 17 Jan. 2017
  • The mere sight of the ransacking seems to quicken his speech.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Hearing those wails, ears that had been dulled quicken to danger.
    — Grace Schulman, The New Republic, 1 Dec. 2022
  • His prose, like the river itself, has turns that quicken the pulse.
    — Danny Heitman, WSJ, 28 July 2022
  • From these, the whales might be able to sense her heartbeat quickening.
    — Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024
  • Our pulse races, our breath quickens, our mind goes into battle mode.
    — Glenn Kurlander, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
  • My pulse quickened, and sweat poured from my forehead, burning my eyes.
    — Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2023
  • The breath quickens, the pupils dilate, the heart begins to pound.
    — Diana Kwon, Scientific American, 12 Sep. 2019
  • Asked not in anger—though the spices do quicken one’s heart rate—but in urgency.
    — Pat Cassels, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2023
  • Renée quickened her pace and approached the woman.
    — Richard Greenberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Short, punchy sentences quicken the pace, while longer, more complex ones slow it down.
    — Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2024
  • Few things quicken the pulse like a kiss — except maybe a mad dash from a squadron of goons hot on your trail.
    — Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2023
  • My pulse quickened, my cheeks felt flushed, and my eyes were desperate to dart and size up the pot.
    — Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
  • The force of her intellect and talent quickened the pace of the trees.
    — Ryu Spaeth, The New Republic, 7 Aug. 2019
  • The story quickens to its haunting end—if not to any new frontier.
    — The Economist, 15 Aug. 2019
  • Their pulse is quickening with the potential of what their job could be.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The short wait is quickened by a tray of banchan every bit as grand as the duck itself.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025
  • If Cambiemos does well in the poll, the pace of reform should quicken.
    — The Economist, 19 Oct. 2017
  • The heat also quickens up the thickening, which in the fridge would take hours.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 25 Jan. 2024
  • The statistic, in and of itself, did nothing to quicken the pulse.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2019
  • In recent years, the pace of turnover of existing homes has quickened.
    — Jonathan Lansner, Orange County Register, 9 June 2017
  • The clubbers’ bare arms glisten under red lights as the beat quickens.
    — Arcelia Martin, Dallas News, 15 June 2023
  • Smith quickened his pace as the ball flew 366 feet, soaring over the home bullpens.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Han's heart quickened when his idea of a perfect scenario got derailed.
    — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
  • And ones touched by clean hands plus the soap and water ones were not exposed to the germs that cause the mold growth to quicken.
    — Claudia Harmata, PEOPLE.com, 18 Dec. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quicken.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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