What does fatten mean?
Fatten is a verb that means to make an animal or person fatter, typically by feeding them generously. Its most familiar use is agricultural: livestock are fattened before slaughter or sale. The word also has a well-established figurative sense, describing the enlargement or enrichment of things like profits, salaries, bank accounts, or even a piece of writing that is padded with extra detail. In this figurative use it often carries a mildly critical connotation, implying excess, greed, or self-interest — as when commentators accuse companies of fattening margins at consumers' expense. The verb derives from the adjective fat, which traces back through Middle English to Old English fætt. Fatten is common throughout British and American English, appearing in contexts ranging from farming manuals to financial journalism. Related forms include the participles fattened and fattening, used adjectivally to describe animals being prepared for market.
verbTo make an animal or person fatter, especially by feeding them more; more broadly, to make something larger, richer, or more substantial, as in 'fatten profits' or 'fatten a report'.
- To cause an animal or person to become fat, especially by feeding them richly.
- (Figurative) To increase or enrich something, such as profits, income, or a document.
"The farmers fattened the cattle on corn before sending them to market."
"The ranchers fattened their steers on grass before the autumn sale."
"Critics claimed the new legislation would simply fatten corporate profit margins."
"Fatten the calf" — the phrase behind centuries of livestock farming — turns out to be one of the oldest verbs in English food production.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fatten
Fatten originates in Old English, derived from the adjective fat (Old English fætt), meaning saturated with oil or grease. It developed as a causative form of that adjective, first attested in Middle English. It shares its root with related words such as fatty and fatling.
Related word forms
How fatten is actually used
Mostly neutral in literal agricultural use; figurative use ('to fatten profits') can carry a slightly negative connotation of greed or excess. Common in both everyday and business writing.
Easily confused with fatten
Batten means to fasten with strips of wood (or to thrive, in 'batten on something'), whereas fatten means to make fat.