sharpen

[ shahr-puhn ]

/ ˈʃɑr pən /

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See synonyms for: sharpen / sharpened / sharpening on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become sharp or sharper.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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-sharpened, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sharpen in a sentence

Spearfishing has been around since humans first sharpened a stick and dove below the surface.
Take a stab at spearfishing with these tips|Same Romano/Outdoor Life|November 16, 2020|Popular-Science
This weight bears a double-edged sword, one side sharpened by the Lakers’ recent 17th championship and the other by the relative immediacy of Leonard’s rapidly closing window.
Ty Lue Inherited A Kawhi Leonard Problem|James L. Jackson|November 13, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Until now, many researchers have regarded stones sharpened to a point and other typical hunting items placed in ancient women’s graves as cutting or scraping tools.
Female big-game hunters may have been surprisingly common in the ancient Americas|Bruce Bower|November 4, 2020|Science News
They never need to be sharpened and come in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes to fit your needs.
Mechanical pencils to keep forever|PopSci Commerce Team|November 2, 2020|Popular-Science

It certainly won’t turn something unintelligible into literature, but it does a good job at sharpening your sentences and preventing you from writing absolute howlers.
Become a better writer with these online tools|Harry Guinness|October 20, 2020|Popular-Science
Buy a sharpener, or pay a professional for frequent sharpenings.
The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide|Megan McArdle|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Hastily she traveled to the pencil sharpener and put on it as sharp a point as possible.
Betty Lee, Freshman|David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
I ruined some more lead pencils and finally broke the pencil sharpener to boot.
Highways in Hiding|George Oliver Smith
Recently we were exhibiting a small pencil sharpener to a muscular friend.
How to Analyze People on Sight|Elsie Lincoln Benedict and Ralph Paine Benedict
Rife, a scythe-sharpener, a narrow piece of board punctured all over and covered with grease on which fine sand is sprinkled.
English As We Speak It in Ireland|P. W. Joyce
The mechanic, the hireling, the sharpener of tools, he must never keep more than a day.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. VIII|Various

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

sharpen

Origin of sharpen

OTHER WORDS FROM sharpen

Words related to sharpen

How to use sharpen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sharpen

Derived forms of sharpen