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sharpen - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'sharpen' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Sharpen [ a.]
- To make sharp.
- To give a keen edge or fine point to; to make sharper; as, to sharpen an ax, or the teeth of a saw.
- To render more quick or acute in perception; to make more ready or ingenious.
- To make more eager; as, to sharpen men's desires.
- To make more pungent and intense; as, to sharpen a pain or disease.
- To make biting, sarcastic, or severe.
- To render more shrill or piercing.
- To make more tart or acid; to make sour; as, the rays of the sun sharpen vinegar.
- To raise, as a sound, by means of a sharp; to apply a sharp to.
2 . Sharpen [ v. i.]
- To grow or become sharp.

Meaning of 'sharpen' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . sharpen [ v]
Meaning (1):
- put (an image) into focus
Example in sentence:
  • Please focus the image; we cannot enjoy the movie
Meaning (2):
- make sharp or sharper
Example in sentence:
  • sharpen the knives
Meaning (3):
- give a point to
Example in sentence:
  • The candles are tapered
Meaning (4):
- become sharp or sharper
Example in sentence:
  • The debate sharpened
Meaning (5):
- make (one's senses) more acute
Example in sentence:
  • This drug will sharpen your vision
Meaning (6):
- make crisp or more crisp and precise
Example in sentence:
  • We had to sharpen our arguments

Nearby Words:

shab shabbed shabbily shabbiness shabbing shabble shabby shabrack shack shackatory

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