whet
Americanverb (used with object)
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to sharpen (a knife, tool, etc.) by grinding or friction.
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to make keen or eager; stimulate.
to whet the appetite; to whet the curiosity.
noun
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the act of whetting.
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something that whets; appetizer or drink.
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Chiefly Southern U.S.
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a spell of work.
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a while.
to talk a whet.
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verb
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to sharpen, as by grinding or friction
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to increase or enhance (the appetite, desire, etc); stimulate
noun
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the act of whetting
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a person or thing that whets
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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whetsimple
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whetssimple
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have whettedperfect
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has whettedperfect
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am whettingprogressive
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are whettingprogressive
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is whettingprogressive
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have been whettingperfect progressive
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has been whettingperfect progressive
Past
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whettedsimple
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had whettedperfect
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was whettingprogressive
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were whettingprogressive
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had been whettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whet
before 900; Middle English whetten (v.), Old English hwettan (derivative of hwæt bold); cognate with German wetzen, Old Norse hvetja, Gothic gahwatjan to incite
Explanation
To whet is to sharpen. You could whet a knife's blade with a whetstone, or you could whet your appetite by having a small salad before dinner. The verb whet can mean "to stimulate or make more acute," and the word is often used in the phrase "whet [your] appetite," which works both literally and figuratively. You could serve light appetizers to whet a guest's appetite for dinner, or give an actor a small part to whet their appetite for a bigger role. In fact, you can whet any desire or sense — such as curiosity, interest, or ambition.
Vocabulary lists containing whet
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Alchemist
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The talk has ceased, but a successful acquisition of Greenland could whet his appetite anew.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
Did they whet your whistle for the book?
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2025
“Dune: Prophecy,” a prequel based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s “Great Schools of Dune” trilogy, has about six hours to set the table and whet our appetite.
From Salon • Nov. 17, 2024
It will whet the appetite for more, especially from the club's Saudi Arabian owners who see the Champions League as the most natural fit for their ambitions.
From BBC • Dec. 13, 2023
The father sharpened the butcher knife with the whetstone he used to whet his scythe and his goose-necked brier hook in the summer when he cut brambles and young sumac in the fencerows.
From "Sounder" by William H. Armstrong
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
