sharpen
[shahr-puh n]
Origin of sharpen
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for sharpen
Contemporary Examples
Despite a dizzying number of women coming forward against her husband, Camille Cosby refuses to sharpen her blade of vengeance.
It took practice for Hayes to sharpen his show, Riding the Midnight Express with Billy Hayes.
The Unbelievable (True) Story of the World’s Most Infamous Hash SmugglerMarlow Stern
November 14, 2014
Our feeble attempts to push back the Grim Reaper only sharpen its cruel bite, not dull it.
You live, acquire wisdom, sharpen your own awareness, and pursue your understanding of a good and meaningful life.
She speaks in thick paragraphs that her staffers probably wish they could condense and sharpen at times.
Historical Examples
If you were envied, why should you sharpen envy, and file up its teeth to an edge?
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
Why should they brighten their tomahawks and sharpen their knives against each other?
The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper
I know for a fact that Sergeant Martin had no less than nine pen-knives to sharpen.
The Field of IceJules Verne
You sharpen your wits on other people's, and you keep in touch with all kinds of opinions.
Changing WindsSt. John G. Ervine
Twas unkind in my uncle to sharpen his appetite with red rum.
The Cruise of the Shining LightNorman Duncan
sharpen
- to make or become sharp or sharper
- music to raise the pitch of (a note), esp by one chromatic semitoneUsual US and Canadian word: sharp
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for sharpen
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper