sharpen
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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sharpens,
present (3rd person singular)
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sharpened,
past participle, past
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sharpening
present participle
verb
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to make or become sharp or sharper
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Usual US and Canadian word: sharp. music to raise the pitch of (a note), esp by one chromatic semitone
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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sharpenernoun
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resharpenverb
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presharpenverb (used with object)
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unsharpenedadjective
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unsharpeningadjective
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well-sharpenedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sharpensimple
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sharpenssimple
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have sharpenedperfect
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has sharpenedperfect
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am sharpeningprogressive
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are sharpeningprogressive
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is sharpeningprogressive
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have been sharpeningperfect progressive
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has been sharpeningperfect progressive
Past
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sharpenedsimple
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had sharpenedperfect
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was sharpeningprogressive
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were sharpeningprogressive
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had been sharpeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sharpen
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at sharp, -en 1
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:
Only months after the attacks, Spike Lee took on 9/11 with a boldness that only 15 years of provocative filmmaking — and a lifetime of loving New York — could sharpen into an artist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
If crooks have access to some of an individual’s personal information, that’s another way to sharpen the hook.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
The 33-year-old recently revealed he had used the summer period to sharpen up his knowledge of the EFL's rules and reach out to some fellow professionals in the game.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Nvidia stock has been on a roll ahead of its earnings but AMD's most recent deal could sharpen AI chip competition.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
He demonstrates some tips his teacher showed him, and then shows me how to use the file in my grandpa's toolbox to sharpen the tiny teeth on the blade.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
That “Going Shopping” is the album’s jauntiest cut — with a music video that restages Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al,” no less — only sharpens the critique.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
That contrast sharpens Rotterdam's concern about losing energy intensive industry to regions with looser rules and cheaper power.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Nvidia’s newly announced Halos for Robotics safety stack sharpens the point: The company is building the software, compute and safety layer around humanoids, not trying to own the entire machine.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Welcome to lower Manhattan’s Church Street Boxing Gym, where steel usually sharpens steel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
The sound sharpens my fear into a hard point stabbing at my center.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
"Competition in the global automotive market has sharpened noticeably," BMW finance boss Walter Mertl said, adding that the company would let an unspecified number of people go to bring costs down.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Recent reporting on the Minneapolis Police Department’s response to the surge has sharpened this point.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
This is a Golden Boot race shaped by stars, sharpened by numbers and defined by rarity.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
All this sharpened Roberts’ belief that both pillars of the business needed the flexibility to forge their own paths unencumbered by the other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Finely groomed purple and black feathers sprouted from its slender arms, and each razor-like claw on its feet had been shined and sharpened.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
She did this countless times across her decades of unwavering support for the queer community, softening and sharpening her humor according to the severity of whatever topic she waded into.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
The results come at a pivotal time for Alibaba, which has been sharpening its focus on AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
They are relying more heavily on their networks, learning how to use AI and sharpening their communication skills and personal qualities — such as coachability, curiosity and reliability — to find work and stay employed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Lamboria credits her ASI coaches for improving his physical strength and a motivational coach and sports psychologist for sharpening her mental game.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
“And you seem to forget our purpose,” the dark man said, his cool voice sharpening.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
