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• sharp
  sharp

  adjective

  having a thin cutting edge or a fine point; well-adapted for cutting or piercing.
• Sharp
  Sharp

  noun

  William Fiona Macleod, 1855?–1905, Scottish poet and critic.

sharp

¹ American  

[shahrp] / ʃɑrp /

adjective

• sharper,
  comparative
• sharpest
  superlative

1. having a thin cutting edge or a fine point; well-adapted for cutting or piercing.

   a sharp knife.

   Antonyms:

   dull

2. terminating in an edge or point; not blunt or rounded.

   The table had sharp corners.

3. involving a sudden or abrupt change in direction or course.

   a sharp curve in the road; The car made a sharp turn.

4. abrupt, as an ascent.

   a sharp drop.

5. consisting of angular lines and pointed forms or of thin, long features.

   He had a sharp face.

6. clearly defined; distinct.

   a sharp photographic image.

   Synonyms:

   clear

7. distinct or marked, as a contrast.

   sharp differences of opinion.

8. pungent or biting in taste.

   a sharp cheese.

   Synonyms:

   sour, piquant, bitter, acrid

9. piercing or shrill in sound.

   a sharp cry.

10. keenly cold, as weather.

    a sharp, biting wind.

    Synonyms:

    biting, nipping, piercing

11. felt acutely; intense; distressing.

    sharp pain.

    Synonyms:

    excruciating, severe

12. merciless, caustic, or harsh.

    sharp words.

    Synonyms:

    biting, pointed, acrimonious, acid, cutting, unmerciful

13. fierce or violent.

    a sharp struggle.

14. keen or eager.

    sharp desire.

15. quick, brisk, or spirited.

16. alert or vigilant.

    They kept a sharp watch for the enemy.

    Synonyms:

    attentive

17. mentally acute.

    a sharp lad.

    Synonyms:

    discriminating, clever, perspicacious, discerning

18. extremely sensitive or responsive; keen.

    sharp vision; sharp hearing.

19. shrewd or astute.

    a sharp bargainer.

20. shrewd to the point of dishonesty.

    sharp practice.

    Synonyms:

    deceitful, shady

21. Music.

    1. (of a tone) raised a chromatic half step in pitch.

       F sharp.

    2. above an intended pitch, as a note; too high (opposed to flat).

22. Informal. very stylish.

    a sharp dresser; a sharp jacket.

23. Radio, Electronics. of, relating to, or responsive to a very narrow range of frequencies.

24. Phonetics. fortis; voiceless.

25. composed of hard, angular grains, as sand.

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verb (used with object)

• sharps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sharped,
  past participle,  past
• sharping
  present participle

1. Music. to raise in pitch, especially by one chromatic half step.

verb (used without object)

• sharps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sharped,
  past participle,  past
• sharping
  present participle

1. to sound above the true pitch.

adverb

1. keenly or acutely.

2. abruptly or suddenly.

   to pull a horse up sharp.

3. punctually.

   Meet me at one o'clock sharp.

4. briskly; quickly.

   The horse turned sharp to the left.

5. Music. above the true pitch.

   You're singing a little sharp.

noun

• sharps
  plural

1. something sharp.

2. Usually sharps a medium-length needle with a rounded eye and a sharp point, used for all-purpose hand sewing.

3. a sharper.

4. Informal. an expert.

5. Music.

   1. a tone one chromatic half step above a given tone.

   2. (in musical notation) the symbol ♯ indicating this.

idioms

1. look sharp. look.

Sharp ² American  

[shahrp] / ʃɑrp /

noun

1. William Fiona Macleod, 1855?–1905, Scottish poet and critic.

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sharp ¹ British  

/ ʃɑːp /

adjective

1. having a keen edge suitable for cutting

2. having an edge or point; not rounded or blunt

3. involving a sudden change, esp in direction

   a sharp bend

4. moving, acting, or reacting quickly, efficiently, etc

   sharp reflexes

5. clearly defined

6. mentally acute; clever; astute

7. sly or artful; clever in an underhand way

   sharp practice

8. bitter or harsh

   sharp words

9. shrill or penetrating

   a sharp cry

10. having an acrid taste

11. keen; biting

    a sharp wind

    sharp pain

12. music

    1. (immediately postpositive) denoting a note that has been raised in pitch by one chromatic semitone

       B sharp

    2. (of an instrument, voice, etc) out of tune by being or tending to be too high in pitch Compare flat 1

13. phonetics a less common word for fortis

14. informal

    1. stylish

    2. too smart

15. involved in the area of any activity where there is most difficulty, competition, danger, etc

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adverb

1. in a sharp manner

2. exactly

   six o'clock sharp

3. music

   1. higher than a standard pitch

   2. out of tune by being or tending to be too high in pitch Compare flat 1

      she sings sharp

noun

1. music

   1. an accidental that raises the pitch of the following note by one chromatic semitone

   2. a note affected by this accidental Compare flat 1

2. a thin needle with a sharp point

3. informal a sharper

4. (usually plural) any medical instrument with sharp point or edge, esp a hypodermic needle

verb

1. Usual equivalent in Britain and certain other countries): sharpen. (tr) music to raise the pitch of (a note), esp by one chromatic semitone

interjection

1. slang an exclamation of full agreement or approval

Sharp ² British  

/ ʃɑːp /

noun

1. Cecil ( James ). 1859–1924, British musician, best known for collecting, editing, and publishing English folk songs

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sharp More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sharp

• keep an eye (a sharp lookout) for
• look sharp

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Synonym Usage

Sharp, keen refer to the edge or point of an instrument, tool, and the like. Sharp applies, in general, to a cutting edge or a point capable of piercing: a sharp knife; a sharp point. Keen is usually applied to sharp edges: a keen sword blade. As applied to mental qualities, sharp, keen, intelligent, quick have varying implications. Sharp suggests an acute, sensitive, alert, penetrating quality: a sharp mind. Keen implies observant, incisive, and vigorous: a keen intellect. Intelligent means not only acute, alert, and active, but also able to reason and understand: an intelligent reader. Quick suggests lively and rapid comprehension, prompt response to instruction, and the like: quick at figures.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sharpness
  noun
• unsharpness
  noun
• oversharp
  adjective
• supersharp
  adjective
• ultrasharp
  adjective
• unsharp
  adjective
• unsharped
  adjective
• unsharping
  adjective
• sharply
  adverb
• unsharply
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sharps
  plural

Adjectives

• sharper
  comparative
• sharpest
  superlative

Participles

• sharping
  present
• sharped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sharp
  simple
• sharps
  simple
• have sharped
  perfect
• has sharped
  perfect
• am sharping
  progressive
• are sharping
  progressive
• is sharping
  progressive
• have been sharping
  perfect progressive
• has been sharping
  perfect progressive

Past

• sharped
  simple
• had sharped
  perfect
• was sharping
  progressive
• were sharping
  progressive
• had been sharping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sharp
  simple
• will have sharped
  perfect
• will be sharping
  progressive
• will have been sharping
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of sharp

First recorded before 900; (adjective) Middle English; Old English scearp; cognate with German scharf; (adverb) Middle English; Old English scearpe, derivative of the adjective; (noun, verb) Middle English, derivative of the adjective

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Explanation

Something with a thin edge or a fine point that can cut is sharp. It's painful when your dog climbs into your lap, poking you with his sharp toenails. A knife and a pointed stick are sharp, since they can pierce or cut, and a piercing pain in your neck is also sharp. You can also use sharp to describe a smart person or clever decision — or someone who dresses well, or the clothes such a person wears. Sharp also means clear, like sharp images in a book of black and white photography, or sudden, like a sharp turn in a mountain road.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sharp Sharp sharps sharper sharpest sharped sharping

It does not establish that taking vitamin A supplements can improve sharp vision in adults.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

The tech-heavy gains driving the four-year bull run in U.S. stocks — and any sharp reversals — also now appear to be shaking things up following previous flight-to-safety playbooks.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Mining saw the strongest monthly growth since July 2025, helped by a recovery from recent disruptions by some companies and with a sharp rise in potash mining with an increase in exports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

"I just got this massive sharp bang in my head. It was like a bomb had gone off," said Saskia, who lives between Worcester and Gloucester.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Then came the thing Gingersnipes was talking about—the sharp, metallic scent of skin.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Despite the uncertainty, Sharp said one thing is clear: “I can guarantee you no one is moving because of this, but we’re keeping our sandbags ready.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Sharp increases in fuel, gas and electricity prices, rationing and inflation at its highest in three years have dealt a painful blow to an economy only just recovering from its worst-ever crisis in 2022.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

Mount Sharp contains numerous layers of sedimentary rock, each preserving evidence from a different chapter of Martian history.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

Sharp and short-lived sell-offs were common as the dotcom bubble inflated, he adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Sharp, with a thousand points, they pricked him.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

The advice is simple: Speak to your GP or pharmacy about obtaining a sharps bin and how to dispose of it safely.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Professional bettors, otherwise known as sharps, affect betting lines for all sports.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2024

No one associated with the musical knows whether a show so right for pastry puns set to sharps and flats can be a hefty source of … dough.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2023

This 20th century Brazilian channeling of Bach flowed naturally from Cuong’s G sharps, leaving that impression that, while the scenery differs, the Amazon, Rhine and Mekong Delta are all rivers, and water everywhere is nourishing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2022

In other words, all chords that have only D naturals, F sharps, and A naturals, are considered D major chords.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

They also provide sharper images of particle tracks than conventional plastic detectors that require chemical etching.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

But because Brazil industrialised late and deindustrialised early, he argues, the effects have been sharper here.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

The payoff, though, was higher margins and a sharper focus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

But he added that rates have also been rising, with sharper increases in recent years as the utility catches up on infrastructure spending at a time when costs have gone up across the board.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

His arms stretched into wings, and his sight became a thousand times sharper.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Engineers also tested the instrument's alignment mechanism and moved it from the deliberately unfocused position used during launch to the position expected to provide the sharpest images.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

Skubal’s command wasn’t at its sharpest in the first inning, with his changeup consistently missing high.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

That political pressure has been sharpest over data centers, the vast computing facilities the technology requires, with more and more communities worried about rising electricity bills and the strain on water and land.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Now sharing a roster with Malachi Toney, the sharpest receiver he’s ever had, Mensah has somehow become even more accurate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

She picked up Cari first because her cries were sharpest.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

These are some macho men of the old Southern tradition, and trying their final product usually consists of a gigantically sharped bushman’s knife hacking through a Fred Flintstone style brontosaurus size steak.

From Forbes ● Jan. 21, 2015

Hence didactic William sharped his own son out of board-money.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was the deepest disgrace we ever knew if we had sharped or flatted when we got back to the starting point.

From Confessions of an Opera Singer by Kathleen Howard

"Sit down, Simon, sit down," said his Grace and carefully sharped a pen.

From Doom Castle by Neil Munro

To flat a sharped degree, use a natural.

From Music Notation and Terminology by Karl Wilson Gehrkens

Looking beyond individual commodities, three broader macro forces are also sharping the market, said Guy Wolf, global head of market analytics at Marex.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 13, 2026

Keaton’s comeback is the result, he says, of sharping his focus.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 13, 2014

With all this injustice, he is never a good case, but, like those among I men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nor does he ever seem to question the various means by which he pursues his end: army desertion, card sharping, contracting a loveless marriage in order to acquire a fortune.

From Time Magazine Archive

I wanted to explain to him the best way to use the sharping stone, but I felt powerless to move: I could only remain at the stile looking on.

From The Red Horizon by Patrick MacGill

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