sharpen up

verb

sharpened up; sharpening up; sharpens up

1

: to become better, smarter, more skillful, etc.

You'd better sharpen up if you want to keep your job.

2

: to improve (something)

I took a course to sharpen up my computer skills.

Examples of sharpen up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These new projects will use what NASA learned last time to sharpen up the methods, and hopefully provide new insights into the relationships between the sun, moon, and Earth. — Julian Dossett, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Thankfully, the edges sharpen up nicely from f/4 to f/8, the sweet spot for landscape scenes. — Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026

Gulls winger Matthew Phillips, who netted his 16th goal of the season and has 51 points overall, said the weekend set against Ontario and Coachella Valley will be all about sharpening up for the playoffs. — Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026

The offseason will be a chance to sharpen up these two or experiment with players from other position groups. — Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for sharpen up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup