whet

1 of 2

verb

ˈ(h)wet 

whetted; whetting

transitive verb

1

: to sharpen by rubbing on or with something (such as a stone)

whet a knife

2

: to make keen or more acute : excite, stimulate

whet the appetite

whetted her curiosity

whetter noun

whet

2 of 2

noun

1

dialect

a

: a spell of work done with a scythe between the time it is sharpened and the time it needs to be sharpened again

b

: time, while

2

: something that sharpens or makes keen:

a

: goad, incitement

b

: appetizer

also : a drink of liquor

Synonyms

Verb

• sharpen

Examples of whet in a Sentence

Verb

We had some wine to whet our appetites.

The ads are trying to whet booksellers' interest.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Amazon's annual Prime Day event is entering orbit and scheduled to land on July 8, but the mega-retailer is whetting our appetite early with some enticing discounts on tech from our favorite manufacturers, like HP. —K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 24 June 2025

Braff and Faison have appeared together in the recent series of T-Mobile commercials, which only whets our proverbial appetite for their reunion on Scrubs. —Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

Noun

To better whet audiences’ palates, the Times will produce videos with Rao and Mishan that will appear across its app and off-platform channels. —Liam Reilly, CNN Money, 11 June 2025

Plus, rumor has it there might be a second novel coming later in the year, so now’s the time to whet that appetite…. —Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English whetten, from Old English hwettan; akin to Old High German wezzen to whet, waz sharp

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing whet

• saw-whet owl
• whet one's appetite

Rhymes for whet

• bet
• brett
• debt
• et
• fret
• get
• jet
• let
• lett
• met
• net
• nett

Kids Definition

whet

verb

ˈhwet,

ˈwet

whetted; whetting

1

: to sharpen by rubbing on or with something (as a stone)

whet a knife

2

: to make keen : stimulate

whet the appetite