strengthen

[ strengk-thuhn, streng-, stren- ]

/ ˈstrɛŋk θən, ˈstrɛŋ-, ˈstrɛn- /

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See synonyms for: strengthen / strengthened / strengthening / strengthener on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to make stronger; give strength to.

Phonetics. to change (a speech sound) to an articulation requiring more effort, as from fricative to stop or nongeminate to geminate.

verb (used without object)

to gain strength; grow stronger.

OTHER WORDS FOR strengthen

1 buttress, reinforce, fortify, support.

See synonyms for strengthen on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of strengthen

First recorded in 1250–1300, strengthen is from the Middle English word strengthnen.See strength, -en¹

OTHER WORDS FROM strengthen

strength·en·er, nounstrength·en·ing·ly, adverbo·ver·strength·en, verbpre·strength·en, verb (used with object)

re·strength·en, verbun·strength·ened, adjectiveun·strength·en·ing, adjective

How to use strengthen in a sentence

They have learned that specific brain cells activate as we form a memory and reactivate as we remember it, strengthening the connections among the neurons involved.
Brain Cell DNA Refolds Itself to Aid Memory Recall|Elena Renken|November 2, 2020|Quanta Magazine
The post Publishers must strengthen their relationships with brands and customers appeared first on Digiday.
Publishers must strengthen their relationships with brands and customers|LiveRamp|October 29, 2020|Digiday
Either would likely need to strengthen his legitimacy with a large segment of the American public — and to do so at a time when trust in most institutions is at a nadir and partisan polarization is high.
Is There A Chance The Winner In 2020 Will Be Able To Credibly Claim A Mandate?|Julia Azari|October 28, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Hurricane Zeta strengthened overnight on Tuesday, and is now expected to hit New Orleans as a Category 2 storm.
Hurricane Zeta is the fifth named storm to hit Louisiana this year|Sara Chodosh|October 28, 2020|Popular-Science

Recently there’s been an uptick of conservative interest in strengthening those doctrines by requiring that judges decide whether a regulation actually promotes some general public interest.
Will a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court roll back regulations on business? Not so fast|matthewheimer|October 27, 2020|Fortune
The legislation strengthens and updates a previous version of the bill that expired in 2011.
Nazis, Sunscreen, and Sea Gull Eggs: Congress in 2014 Was Hella Productive|Ben Jacobs|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was really only one good reason to maintain the embargo: Trade with Cuba strengthens the Castros.
Obama’s One Hand Clap With Castro|Doug McIntyre|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And it especially strengthens those who look to meet massive challenges with little more than small-scale policy tinkering.
The GOP Flees to the Cleve|James Poulos|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Far-right Marine Le Pen strengthens her position in national politics.
French Vote Thrusts Two Women Into the Spotlight|Tracy McNicoll|March 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mahvash and Fariba sometimes hear of this support, and it strengthens them.
Silenced in Iran: The Plight of Bahai Prisoners of Conscience|Roxana Saberi|June 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But it greatly equalizes and strengthens the fingers, and makes your execution smooth and elegant.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Such reading neither strengthens the old power nor develops any new power.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
Porridge is a food which satisfies and strengthens, and which, it seems, is rich in bone-forming matter.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell
This kind of argument is not necessarily conclusive; yet with others it always strengthens a case.
English: Composition and Literature|W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
Every time there is an exception the argument is weakened; another case of its working strengthens it.
English: Composition and Literature|W. F. (William Franklin) Webster

British Dictionary definitions for strengthen

strengthen

/ (ˈstrɛŋθən) /

verb

to make or become stronger

Derived forms of strengthen

strengthener, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

strengthen

OTHER WORDS FOR strengthen

Origin of strengthen

OTHER WORDS FROM strengthen

Words related to strengthen

How to use strengthen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for strengthen

Derived forms of strengthen