work-harden

American

[wurk-hahrd-n] / ˈwɜrkˌhɑrd n /

verb (used with object)

to toughen or strengthen (a metal) by cold-working or another mechanical process.

work-harden British

verb

(tr) to increase the strength or hardness of (a metal) by a mechanical process, such as tension, compression, or torsion

"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

Other Word Forms

work-hardening

noun

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023