Examples of stiffen in a Sentence
She stiffened when he grabbed her shoulder.
The dogs stiffened in alarm.
The law would stiffen penalties for tax evasion.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Vikings’ defense stiffened there, stopping four straight running plays and forcing a turnover on downs at the 2.
—
Rick Hoff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2023
This is when a frog stiffens its outstretched arms and legs to appear dead.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Oct. 2023
The side sills are stamped from thicker steel, the A-pillars are made with a larger section, and an additional crossmember is added in the rear to stiffen the suspension area.
—Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 11 Aug. 2023
Eovaldi threw the equivalent of a game warmup, sat down to rest, pitched an inning, sat down and then threw another inning to get an idea of how much the arm might stiffen up between innings.
—Evan Grant, Dallas News, 16 Aug. 2023
Gun litigation was hard — tactically, emotionally — and Koskoff said that the determination of these families to pursue accountability despite a legal framework designed to prevent gun makers from being held liable stiffened his own resolve.
—Michael Steinberger, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
Kia said in the documents that adding stiffening ribs around the housing of the mounting clips fixes the problem.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 11 Sep. 2023
In addition to support, bridges need some kind of stiffening truss—or framework of interconnected beams—to keep the structure rigid.
—Colin Dickey, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2023
An early April visit to Kyiv from Boris Johnson, then the British Prime Minister, seems to have stiffened Zelensky’s resolve.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2023
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Rick Hoff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2023
This is when a frog stiffens its outstretched arms and legs to appear dead.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Oct. 2023
The side sills are stamped from thicker steel, the A-pillars are made with a larger section, and an additional crossmember is added in the rear to stiffen the suspension area.
—Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 11 Aug. 2023
Eovaldi threw the equivalent of a game warmup, sat down to rest, pitched an inning, sat down and then threw another inning to get an idea of how much the arm might stiffen up between innings.
—Evan Grant, Dallas News, 16 Aug. 2023
Gun litigation was hard — tactically, emotionally — and Koskoff said that the determination of these families to pursue accountability despite a legal framework designed to prevent gun makers from being held liable stiffened his own resolve.
—Michael Steinberger, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
Kia said in the documents that adding stiffening ribs around the housing of the mounting clips fixes the problem.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 11 Sep. 2023
In addition to support, bridges need some kind of stiffening truss—or framework of interconnected beams—to keep the structure rigid.
—Colin Dickey, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2023
An early April visit to Kyiv from Boris Johnson, then the British Prime Minister, seems to have stiffened Zelensky’s resolve.
—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2023
See More
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.
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Time Traveler
The first known use of stiffen was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near stiffen
Cite this Entry
“Stiffen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stiffen. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on stiffen
Nglish: Translation of stiffen for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of stiffen for Arabic Speakers
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