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:
They signed a strategic roadmap on the acquisition of French military equipment as Iraq seeks to modernise its armed forces and strengthen its sovereignty capabilities.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
"By revisiting a long-standing textbook explanation with modern tools, our work aims to improve chemistry education and strengthen the conceptual foundations that support chemical innovation."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
The latest U.S. inflation prints were broadly in line with expectations, but hot enough to strengthen expectations for a Fed rate hike this week, Commerzbank Research analysts say in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
“Continuing to invest in and strengthen our basketball operations group is a top priority as we build for the long-term success of our team and players,” Pelinka said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Using a clear, clean, straight head voice rather than chest voice will help to avoid this, and will strengthen a child’s vocal musculature for a lifetime of excellent singing.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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 deal strengthens Equinor’s integrated power strategy by combining power generation with its own significant gas operations in the Appalachian Mountains, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 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
He has been aided by injuries to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who swept the majors in the past two seasons, but a strengthened mentality and dedication to fitness has also helped.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Recent comments from key RBA officials have strengthened expectations that the central bank will deliver its fourth rate increase this month, with some analysts predicting a fifth in November.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The team hopes the model will help reveal how the heart produces new muscle cells and how that natural response might be strengthened.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 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
Thankfully Alec was easy on him and didn’t talk much while they both ate and strengthened themselves for the day ahead.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
The pathway identified in the new study may offer another strategy: strengthening a natural process the body already uses to bring inflammation under control.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
Robust external demand likely continued to support industrial production, with growth strengthening to 4.9% from a year earlier, ING said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
These readings suggest that monetary conditions remain accommodative despite the rise in nominal yields, strengthening the case for further BoJ rate hikes.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
A new hurricane season record is likely to be set this week as a historic and still strengthening El Niño stifles tropical development in the Atlantic.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
She and I were all for strengthening the character of black youth across America, but we also needed rather desperately to get to Water Tower Place before the K-Swiss sneaker sale ended.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
