She stiffened when he grabbed her shoulder.
The dogs stiffened in alarm.
The law would stiffen penalties for tax evasion.
Recent Examples on the WebPhoto : Andy Morgan, courtesy Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC
Selecting Sport+ mode stiffens the Vantage’s suspension and sharpens responses.—Angus MacKenzie, Robb Report, 12 May 2024 There’s another gown from the same year, designed by the House of Worth, that was treated with metallic salts to stiffen the taffeta.—Jason Farago, New York Times, 9 May 2024 Russia and Ukraine use drones to terrorize each other’s citizens as well as generate propaganda to stiffen their own citizens’ resolve.—Paul Lushenko, The Conversation, 16 Feb. 2024 Ligaments and tendons hold your knee joint together, and those also tend to stiffen and tighten with age.—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 14 Feb. 2024 Sport mode stiffens the suspension, lowers the ride height just over .5 inches, and delivers 100 percent of the e-motors’ output, noticeably sharpening the response to the accelerator.—Angus MacKenzie, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024 Heart valves and arteries stiffened with age, which forced the heart to work harder and increased the likelihood of high blood pressure and heart attacks.—Eli Saslow Erin Schaff Eli Saslow, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024 Gabriel tried to distract himself with the tactile sensations of farming: wet dirt stiffening his hands and massing under his nails; cold creeping through his jeans and long underwear; humidity swelling through his sinuses.—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024 The Ravens’ defense stiffened as the game wore on — holding the Chiefs to 17 points was more than commendable — but the offense never got in rhythm.—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 28 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stiffen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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