sharpener

American  

[shahrp-uhn-er] / ˈʃɑrp ən ər /

noun

• sharpeners
  plural

1. a tool, device, or machine used to produce or restore a fine edge or point on blades, pencils, etc.

2. a person whose work is to restore a fine edge or point on things by means of such a tool or machine.

3. a person, activity, or thing that serves to hone or challenge a person's thinking, skill, etc.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sharpeners
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sharpener sharpeners

What she needs is a good knife sharpener.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Many favor the $147 pencil sharpener as the worst offender.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

"In atom-probe tomography, we start by sharpening a piece of the lunar sample into a very sharp tip, using a focused ion beam microscope, almost like a very fancy pencil sharpener," Greer said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2023

I immediately got feedback saying, that’s actually quite a good knife sharpener.

From New York Times ● May 5, 2023

With a sudden slash of his hand, he knocked both the sharpener and the cup of pencils from his desk.

From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler

In other rooms, colleagues arranged pencil sharpeners, water bottles and crayons in patterns, recording with depth-sensor cameras.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

So, yeah, people are posting pictures not just of sandwiches and knife sharpeners.

From New York Times ● May 5, 2023

Home teams must follow a standardized list of hosting requirements; it includes providing table saws to cut sticks and exhaust for skate sharpeners.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 10, 2023

Electric sharpeners require little effort on your end, but stones are generally the preferred choice since they're gentler on blades, relatively inexpensive, and easy to use.

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2022

The gas penetrated the air ducts, soaked the offices, got into drawers in the desks, and got inside pencil sharpeners in the drawers.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston