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

In other words, instead of spreading yourself too thin right off the bat, it can pay to sharpen your skills in one area first — like becoming a great chef — before branching out into new income streams or business ventures.

From Salon

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

As a small, slow kid, he had to sharpen his skills to make up the gap on more naturally gifted players.

From BBC

Twice a day, group members would have “class,” during which they’d sharpen their survival skills, practicing them before they actually had to use them.

From Slate

Related Words

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