sharpen

[shahr-puh n]

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verb (used with or without object)

to make or become sharp or sharper.

Origin of sharpen

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

Related formssharp·en·er, nounpre·sharp·en, verb (used with object)re·sharp·en, verbun·sharp·ened, adjectiveun·sharp·en·ing, adjectivewell-sharp·ened, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sharpen

hone, whet, taper, grind, stroke, edge, file, acuminate, dress, strop, sharp

Examples from the Web for sharpen

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of sharpen

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 Mohicans
James Fenimore Cooper
I know for a fact that Sergeant Martin had no less than nine pen-knives to sharpen.
The Field of Ice
Jules Verne
You sharpen your wits on other people's, and you keep in touch with all kinds of opinions.
Changing Winds
St. John G. Ervine
Twas unkind in my uncle to sharpen his appetite with red rum.
The Cruise of the Shining Light
Norman Duncan

British Dictionary definitions for sharpen

sharpen

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 Formssharpener, 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

Word Origin and History for sharpen

1520s, "bring to an edge or point," from sharp (adj.) + -en (1). Related: Sharpened; sharpening. Old English verb scearpian meant "to score, scarify;" cf. scearpung "scarifying." To sharpen (one's) pencil "prepare to get to work" is from 1957, American English.