strengthen
Americanverb
Other Word Forms
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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Spelling Practice, Unit 2
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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.
Such efforts would strengthen deterrence in the Pacific, Atlantic and waters in the High North, he added.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
The researchers then performed electrophysiological recordings on hippocampal tissue samples to assess synaptic plasticity, the brain's ability to strengthen or weaken connections between nerve cells in response to experience and learning.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2026
But Ben Brake, director general of DOT Europe, whose members include Amazon and Apple, said "retaliating against US corporations in response to trade disputes will neither drive innovation nor strengthen Europe's competitiveness".
From Barron's • May 30, 2026
Schrader said it typically takes him four to six months to fully develop a screenplay idea, a process of testing, discarding and gradually refining concepts until they either strengthen or collapse under scrutiny.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
The Regent was a being whose profound intellect had had thousands of years to deepen and strengthen itself, and whose knowledge extended over a million universes.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
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.
