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:
“The $2,450-$2,500 region represents an important recent support area, while a sustained recovery toward $2,650-$2,750 could strengthen confidence in renewed upward momentum.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
"Ultimately, our goal is to provide growers with practical, science-based solutions that help strengthen mushroom farming systems," said Martins.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
"The company must strengthen its safeguards to prevent similar incidents from impacting city systems without the city's knowledge," Philadelphia police said in a statement to local media, external.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Artex was designed to help organisations strengthen their cyber defences through security testing to find potential weak points.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Closer, in fact, to him than to his own father, for Macon had no imperfection and age seemed to strengthen him.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
The approach strengthens superconductivity without directly driving the material with an external energy source.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
It also strengthens state oversight of existing leases by requiring additional scrutiny and waiting periods for renewals, extensions or changes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
"Any initiative that strengthens Ukraine's already highly capable, but heavily burdened, cyber defence efforts is a welcome development and could provide a valuable force multiplier," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
“This should fundamentally weigh on aluminum prices—especially if the U.S. dollar strengthens as we anticipate in the coming quarters,” he says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
“It sends the blood flying through thy veins to warm thee. Besides, it strengthens thy body and, best of all, it strengthens thy spirit to do a hard thing.”
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
If scientists can determine how that mechanism works and whether it can be strengthened, it could provide a new target for therapies designed to protect vision.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
The dollar strengthened, heading for its fourth straight week of gains, on investors’ expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates to rein in inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
It added: "Our strengthened Water Bill will deliver cleaner waters, stronger accountability and will create a powerful new regulator to hold companies to account."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
They noted that the labor market had strengthened a bit and that the U.S. economy was expanding at a solid pace.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
The men already knew each other from Farmer’s work in the central plateau, and their friendship only strengthened after they met again at St. Jean Bosco.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
In a study published in Cell, scientists found that strengthening daily biological rhythms in a specific hypothalamic region improved several aging-related measurements and extended lifespan in male mice.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
Cloud and strengthening winds will move into north-western parts during the afternoon, all linked to an area of low pressure passing between the UK and Iceland. which contains some of the remnants of ex-Hurricane Isaias.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
They are a sign of a healthy and strengthening economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
This interaction lowers the energy of the superconducting state, making superconductivity more stable and effectively strengthening it.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026
‘But we call it lembas or waybread, and it is more strengthening than any food made by Men, and it is more pleasant than cram, by all accounts.’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
