1. to become ripe or mature; to develop to full readiness
2. to cause something to become ripe or mature

Examples

• The tomatoes will ripen in the sun.
• Let the bananas ripen on the counter for a few days.
• The cheese needs time to ripen properly.
• Warm weather helps fruit ripen faster.
• The farmer waited for the corn to ripen before harvesting.
• She placed the avocados in a paper bag to ripen them quickly.
• The grapes ripen slowly during the cool autumn months.