sharpener
Americannoun
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a tool, device, or machine used to produce or restore a fine edge or point on blades, pencils, etc.
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a person whose work is to restore a fine edge or point on things by means of such a tool or machine.
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a person, activity, or thing that serves to hone or challenge a person's thinking, skill, etc.
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.
"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
That included bags full of sticks and helmets, a skate sharpener, a portable ultrasound system, a sewing machine, a custom stereo and a box of Splenda, the sweetener Coach Peter Laviolette prefers in his coffee.
From Washington Post • Apr. 10, 2023
"It's given me a little sharpener, a kick up the backside, that this is how I need to play my cricket, how I can be consistently useful in this group."
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2023
But I’m still pondering the crucial narrative role of a pencil sharpener, which all too readily happens to be found outside a back door, ready for use.
From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2022
The entrance of the cave sat about seventy feet down the cliff face - a circle of black in the chalky yellow rock like the hole of a giant pencil sharpener.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
