sharpen

[ shahr-puh n ]

/ ˈʃɑr pən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sharpen ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become sharp or sharper.

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Let the aeolian gusts transport you back to these popular Words of the Day from the month of May. How many do you remember?

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to travel or journey, especially to walk on foot”?

hightail

peregrinate

perpetrate

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Origin of sharpen

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at sharp, -en¹

OTHER WORDS FROM sharpen

sharp·en·er, nounpre·sharp·en, verb (used with object)re·sharp·en, verbun·sharp·ened, adjective

un·sharp·en·ing, adjectivewell-sharp·ened, adjective

Words nearby sharpen

sharp-witted, sharpbender, sharpbill, sharpe, sharpe's grysbok, sharpen, sharper, sharpeville, sharpey-schafer, sharpie, sharpish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for sharpen

Despite a dizzying number of women coming forward against her husband, Camille Cosby refuses to sharpen her blade of vengeance.
Why Didn’t Camille Dump Bill Cosby?|Amanda Marcotte|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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 Smuggler|Marlow Stern|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Our feeble attempts to push back the Grim Reaper only sharpen its cruel bite, not dull it.
The New World of Anti-Aging Dentistry|Kent Sepkowitz|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You live, acquire wisdom, sharpen your own awareness, and pursue your understanding of a good and meaningful life.
He Left Nirvana Because He Had Cooler Things to Do. Like Going to Iraq.|Jacob Siegel|April 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She speaks in thick paragraphs that her staffers probably wish they could condense and sharpen at times.
Could a Pro-Pot Lesbian Become the Next Governor of Maryland?|Jim Newell|March 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He said no more, but seated himself and began to sharpen his seax on a smooth, hard stone.
Ulric the Jarl|William O. Stoddard
Here is a love-billet from some simpleton, with a knife as a souvenir; sharpen it on the Arbicos.
Under Two Flags|Ouida [Louise de la Ramee]
The three Indians at once undertook not only to put handles to the hammers, but to sharpen the stones intended for axeheads.
The Wanderers|W.H.G. Kingston
Indeed, the grand and only use of examples, is to sharpen the judgement.
The Critique of Pure Reason|Immanuel Kant
The heat seems to sharpen their desires and morbidly arouse all their senses.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for sharpen

sharpen

/ (ˈʃɑːpən) /

verb

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

Derived forms of sharpen

sharpener, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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WORD OF THE DAY

sharpen

verb (used with or without object)

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QUIZ TIME: TEST YOUR MEMORY OF THE MAY 2020 WORDS OF THE DAY

Origin of sharpen

OTHER WORDS FROM sharpen

Words nearby sharpen

Example sentences from the Web for sharpen

British Dictionary definitions for sharpen

verb

Derived forms of sharpen

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

sharpen

verb (used with or without object)

QUIZZES

QUIZ TIME: TEST YOUR MEMORY OF THE MAY 2020 WORDS OF THE DAY

Origin of sharpen

OTHER WORDS FROM sharpen

Words nearby sharpen

Words related to sharpen

Example sentences from the Web for sharpen

British Dictionary definitions for sharpen

verb

Derived forms of sharpen