sharpen
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
-
to make or become sharp or sharper
-
Usual US and Canadian word: sharp. music to raise the pitch of (a note), esp by one chromatic semitone
Other Word Forms
- presharpen verb (used with object)
- resharpen verb
- sharpener noun
- unsharpened adjective
- unsharpening adjective
- well-sharpened adjective
Etymology
Origin of sharpen
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; sharp, -en 1
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.
“These are serious times, and they call for serious people. And we have a saying among us that steel sharpens steel. We make each other better.”
From Salon
Older adults who took part in a short program designed to sharpen how quickly they process visual information were less likely to develop dementia years later.
From Science Daily
For a moment she stared blankly at Jonn, Marlie, and Rowan, as.though wondering why they were there, then her expression sharpened, and she waved her hand at them impatiently.
From Literature
"A Japanese knife was referred to as being dirty when actually the knife has just been sharpened and was seen part way through the cleaning process," they added.
From BBC
The asset manager’s focus this year is to sharpen its portfolio through asset sales and redevelopments, which it could leverage through its around S$6.4 billion headroom, the analyst adds.
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.
