- 1to give a name to a baby at his or her baptism to welcome him or her into the Christian Church christen somebody + noun The child was christened Mary. christen somebody Did you have your children christened?
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- 2christen somebody/something (+ noun) to give a name to someone or something This area has been christened “America's last wilderness.” They christened the boat “Oceania.”
- 3christen something (informal) to use something for the first time Let's have a drink to christen our new wine glasses.
christen
verbNAmE//ˈkrɪsn//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they christen he / she / it christens
past simple christened
-ing form christening
Check pronunciation: christen