whiten
/ˈwʌɪt(ə)n
/verb
Make or become white: [with object]: snow whitened the mountain tops [no object]: she gripped the handle until her knuckles whitened...
- Mike gripped the arms of his seat until his knuckles whitened.
- It had my audience on the edge of its seats, lips parted, knuckles whitened.
- I clench the steering wheel, my knuckles whitening.
Synonyms
make/become white, make/become pale, bleach, blanch, lighten, fade, wash out, be washed out, etiolate;
British Military blanco
archaic white
Derivatives
whitener
/ noun ...- On Wednesday the focus was on the prevalent use of skin whiteners and the dangers of using products which are not approved by the health ministry.
- A disturbing trend is that they go after easily available addictives such as whiteners and petroleum-based glues.
- Messy, smelly fake tans, foundations that disappear before lunchtime and skin whiteners could soon be a thing of the past.