sharpen

[ shahr-puhn ]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become sharp or sharper. sharp.

sharpen

/ ˈʃɑːpən /

verb

1. to make or become sharp or sharper
2. music to raise the pitch of (a note), esp by one chromatic semitone Usual US and Canadian wordsharp

Derived Forms

• ˈsharpener, noun

Other Words From

• sharpen·er noun
• pre·sharpen verb (used with object)
• re·sharpen verb
• un·sharpened adjective
• un·sharpen·ing adjective
• well-sharpened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sharpen¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; sharp, -en ¹

Example Sentences

Cooper Kupp, who sharpened his skills practicing against him, described him as “a unicorn” of a football player.

From Los Angeles Times

To sharpen the pain of the loss, the fire came on the day of the couple’s third engagement anniversary.

From Los Angeles Times

I felt muscles tighten and instincts sharpen as I developed a cyclist’s feel for the flow of traffic.

From Los Angeles Times

By the time Trump had glided down his golden escalator to announce his candidacy a year earlier, the nation was accustomed to rancor and sharpening divisions.

From Los Angeles Times

A tight first set swung Draper's way when he broke serve for a second time in the 12th game before De Minaur sharpened up his groundstrokes.

From BBC

Related Words

• better
• enhance
• fine-tune
• improve
• perfect
• polish
• polish up