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.
Hwangrae Lee, from Korea, polished his pencil sharpener with a tissue.
From New York Times • Nov. 3, 2023
"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
He moved in slow motion, dragging himself up to the pencil sharpener and carefully slipping in his pencil and then grinding away forever.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
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.
