strengthen
Americanverb (used with object)
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strengthens,
present (3rd person singular)
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strengthened,
past participle, past
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strengthening
present participle
verb (used without object)
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strengthens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
strengthened,
past participle, past
-
strengthening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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strengthenernoun
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overstrengthenverb
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restrengthenverb
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prestrengthenverb (used with object)
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unstrengthenedadjective
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unstrengtheningadjective
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strengtheninglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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strengthensimple
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strengthenssimple
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have strengthenedperfect
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has strengthenedperfect
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am strengtheningprogressive
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are strengtheningprogressive
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is strengtheningprogressive
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have been strengtheningperfect progressive
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has been strengtheningperfect progressive
Past
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strengthenedsimple
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had strengthenedperfect
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was strengtheningprogressive
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were strengtheningprogressive
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had been strengtheningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of strengthen
First recorded in 1250–1300, strengthen is from the Middle English word strengthnen. See strength, -en 1
Explanation
To strengthen is to make something stronger! Rarr. You can strengthen your muscles by working out, or strengthen your brain by learning new words. Anytime you strengthen something, you're making it more resistant, vigorous, or tough. Taking vitamins can strengthen your immune system so you don't get sick. Lifting weights will strengthen your muscles. A powerful lock will strengthen a door. On computers, a reliable firewall will strengthen your virus protection. If something is weak, it needs to be strengthened. Congrats! You just strengthened your vocabulary by checking out this definition!
Vocabulary lists containing strengthen
President Obama's second inaugural address
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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.
See Examples For:
Whether the 61-year-old’s return to tennis as an éminence grise can herd the sport’s notoriously scattered stakeholders together and strengthen the players’ position is the question du jour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
“But the yen would have to strengthen materially and surprisingly in order for the eruptions that happened a couple years ago to re-materialize.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
The UK government said the new space strategy would "drive growth, strengthen security and back the technologies that underpin modern life".
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
"The launch of the first automobile route will further strengthen the connection between our friendly countries," Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said in a video link at the ceremony.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
And they said: ‘Surely that is one of the great steeds of the King of Rohan? Maybe the Rohirrim will come soon to strengthen us.’
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
If the yen suddenly strengthens further — like what happened in recent days — investors could be forced to unwind those positions rapidly.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
“That kind of capability directly disrupts the operational advantage these transnational criminal organizations rely on, and it strengthens our ability to protect both Texas communities and the broader region,” he said in an email.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
According to Gallardo, demonstrating that established theories of gravity continue to work over enormous distances strengthens the standard model of cosmology.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
The move strengthens the company’s presence among North American freight brokers “while adding modern workflow automation and connectivity across multiple domestic transportation modes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
“Nice white sugar ... when taken moderately cleans the blood, strengthens body and mind, especially chest, lungs and throat,” noted a physician in the 1500s.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
The work of artist and architect Hiroshi Sugimoto, the new garden has been expanded to some 60 sculptures while its relationship to the National Mall and to the Hirshhorn Museum’s plaza has been strengthened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
In Ventura County, public works crews have said they are sending teams out to identify vulnerable coastal locations to see if they can be strengthened.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
On currency markets, the yen strengthened to around 153.50 per dollar after seeing Tuesday's rally -- which saw it within a whisker of its 2026 high -- pared towards the end of the day.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
In particular, it strengthened the transport of water vapor from the midlatitude Indian Ocean toward East Antarctica through atmospheric rivers.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
Tree-ear’s hands were toughened by calluses from ax and spade, his arms strengthened by endless work; he gave not a single step of ground to the robber.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
It comes as a strengthening El Nino pattern, expected to be the most intense in decades, has begun unleashing extreme weather across the globe.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
“Markets are effectively being pulled in two directions — higher energy prices are strengthening the case for tighter policy, while softer underlying inflation could give central banks a reason to remain cautious.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
A rapid strengthening of the yuan would erode China’s international competitiveness, slowing exports and economic growth, said economists at Goldman Sachs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
The series was also a valuable opportunity for England's crop of seamers to test themselves without Bell leading the attack, another area of their squad that needed strengthening.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
She was aware of the breeze strengthening, pushing one French window closed, before dying down once more.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
