sharpen
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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sharpens,
present (3rd person singular)
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sharpened,
past participle, past
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sharpening
present participle
verb
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to make or become sharp or sharper
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Usual US and Canadian word: sharp. music to raise the pitch of (a note), esp by one chromatic semitone
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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sharpenernoun
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resharpenverb
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presharpenverb (used with object)
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unsharpenedadjective
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unsharpeningadjective
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well-sharpenedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sharpensimple
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sharpenssimple
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have sharpenedperfect
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has sharpenedperfect
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am sharpeningprogressive
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are sharpeningprogressive
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is sharpeningprogressive
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have been sharpeningperfect progressive
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has been sharpeningperfect progressive
Past
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sharpenedsimple
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had sharpenedperfect
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was sharpeningprogressive
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were sharpeningprogressive
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had been sharpeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sharpen
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at 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.
See Examples For:
Nvidia stock has been on a roll ahead of its earnings but AMD's most recent deal could sharpen AI chip competition.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
A small bundle of herbs can sharpen a bowl of rice and beans.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
These courses can sharpen product and subject knowledge that can help specific roles, she added.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
The move would sharpen a standoff over control of Hormuz that has led to days of fighting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Better sharpen your pencil,” she called over to me.
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
That contrast sharpens Rotterdam's concern about losing energy intensive industry to regions with looser rules and cheaper power.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The combination of a resilient economy with new sources of price pressure sharpens the debate facing the committee at its July 28-29 meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Nvidia’s newly announced Halos for Robotics safety stack sharpens the point: The company is building the software, compute and safety layer around humanoids, not trying to own the entire machine.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
“The Los Angeles that asserts itself from the shadows of that spectacle, a concept that sharpens this contrast between how the dream factory depicts it, and the reality of life within the actual place.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
Fennel sharpens the sight and is an antidote to some poisons.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Your appetite has been sharpened by sun, distance and swimming, and what you unwrap tastes less like something that survived the journey than something that has been quietly getting ready for you.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
"Competition in the global automotive market has sharpened noticeably," BMW finance boss Walter Mertl said, adding that the company would let an unspecified number of people go to bring costs down.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Recent reporting on the Minneapolis Police Department’s response to the surge has sharpened this point.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Some of his colleagues’ inflation worries have sharpened since, and they could push to entertain a rate increase when the Fed meets July 28-29.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
From this he cut off a good piece, and then he and his men sharpened it and hardened the point by turning it round and round in the fire.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Joseph Adinolfi broke down the factors leading to the sharpening of the Treasury-yield curve, how rising long-term rates affect investors and what may lie ahead.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Lamboria credits her ASI coaches for improving his physical strength and a motivational coach and sports psychologist for sharpening her mental game.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
“This is a fast-moving space, and we’re sharpening our focus on the initiatives that matter most for customers, so we can move faster on what counts.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Instead, it seemed to wake the herbs up, sharpening their edges and giving the whole thing just enough brightness to keep the carbs from feeling sleepy.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Maman made our eating table into a study table, with everything neatly in place—notebooks, two pendls, the knife for sharpening, and a candle stuck in a bottle.
From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple
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.
