sharpen

verb sharp·en \ ˈshär-pən \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Examples: sharpen in a Sentence

Definition of sharpen

sharpened; sharpening play \ˈshärp-niŋ, ˈshär-pə-\

transitive verb

: to make sharp or sharper; especially : hone

intransitive verb

: to become sharp or sharper

—

sharpener

play \ˈshärp-nər, ˈshär-pə-\ noun

See sharpen defined for English-language learners

See sharpen defined for kids

Examples of sharpen in a Sentence

Can you sharpen the image?
The lecture sharpened my understanding of the topic.
The outlines of the mountains sharpened as we got closer.

Recent Examples of sharpen from the Web

See all the vacation pics below: Harper sharpening her circus skills.

— rita thompson, Billboard, "Elton John & Neil Patrick Harris Go On Adorable Joint Family Vacation: See the Pics," 11 July 2018
Devin King is also very funny as Craig, an office manager obsessed with sharpening pencils.

— patti restivo, Howard County Times, "Laurel Mill Playhouse presents 'Laughing Stock'," 6 July 2018
Many business schools have recently launched degrees and program concentrations that sharpen skills needed for high-paying tech or health-service administration jobs.

— kelsey gee, WSJ, "M.B.A. Graduates Enter Tougher Job Market," 25 June 2018
Rather than blurring the lines between everyday life and children’s imaginative dreamscapes, this design melodramatically sharpens them, telegraphing what Frank seems concerned might otherwise get lost or be misunderstood.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Treasure the pirate in First Stage's 'Judy Moody and Stink'," 5 May 2018
After high school, between recording music and sharpening his songwriting skills in Nashville, McCreery enrolled in North Carolina State University.

— emily yahr, BostonGlobe.com, "Scotty McCreery is too nice to gloat about his first No. 1 song, but here’s why he should," 15 Mar. 2018
In Sport mode, the 530e sharpens up a bit and will hit 62mph (100km/h) in six seconds.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "A Bimmer with a battery: The 2018 BMW 530e hybrid," 3 Jan. 2018
Just to do anything – to get my skates sharpened, to get a library book, to get from one part of the city to another – was an unbelievable hassle.

— bob blaisdell, The Christian Science Monitor, "'A Terrible Country' follows an ex-pat who returns to experience life in Russia," 11 July 2018
The sonnet, an Italian contrivance adapted by the poets of the English Renaissance, was handed down to twentieth-century writers like Robert Lowell and Gwendolyn Brooks and self-consciously Americanized—its gait loosened, its politics sharpened.

— dan chiasson, The New Yorker, "The Politics and Play of Terrance Hayes," 24 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sharpen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of sharpen

15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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sharpen Synonyms

SHARPEN Defined for English Language Learners

sharpen

verb

Definition of sharpen for English Language Learners

: to make (something) sharp or sharper
: to make (something) clearer or more distinct
: to become clearer or more distinct

SHARPEN Defined for Kids

sharpen

verb sharp·en \ ˈshär-pən \

Definition of sharpen for Students

sharpened; sharpening

: to make or become sharp or sharper I sharpened the pencil's point.

—

sharpener

noun

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sharpen

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sharpener

Examples of sharpen in a Sentence

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SHARPEN Defined for English Language Learners

sharpen

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sharpen

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