sharpen

[shahr-puhn]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become sharp or sharper. sharp.

sharpen

/ ˈʃɑːpən /

verb

1. to make or become sharp or sharper

2. Usual US and Canadian word: sharp. music to raise the pitch of (a note), esp by one chromatic semitone

Other Word Forms

• sharpener noun
• presharpen verb (used with object)
• resharpen verb
• unsharpened adjective
• unsharpening adjective
• well-sharpened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sharpen¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; sharp, -en ¹

Example Sentences

For the vast expanse of human history, we engaged face-to-face with others, developing exquisite abilities to read a partner’s emotional state, instinctively mirroring gestures to sharpen our own awareness.

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Cookbooks that teach that kind of fluency — sharpening not just your knife skills but your sense of season and taste — are rare.

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Like his predecessors, Elhedery wants to sharpen HSBC’s focus on the U.K. and Asia—where the bank makes most of its profit—with a particular focus on Hong Kong.

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If nothing else, this exercise sharpens her conversation skills for job interviews.

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"Usually the opposition would have longer but the government collapse in popularity has happened so quickly it has sharpened focus on needing to have an alternative narrative," one Tory MP, first elected in 2024, said.

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Related Words

• better 
• enhance 
• fine-tune 
• improve 
• perfect 
• polish 
• polish up