whetted; whetting
1
: to sharpen by rubbing on or with something (such as a stone)
whet a knife
whetter
noun
1
2
: something that sharpens or makes keen:
a
: goad, incitement
b
: appetizer
also
: a drink of liquor
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
Irene S. Levine, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
To whet your appetite (or wet your whistle), here are the current odds, courtesy of betonline.ag:
Ohtani, 1-12
Francisco Lindor, 5-1
Marcell Ozuna, 75-1
The postseason race
A look at how the teams stack up.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2024
Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Oct. 2024
Should the halos in Sienese painting whet your appetite for expensive, shiny, metal stuff, the Brooklyn Museum has just the thing.
—The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whet 
Verb
Geared primarily to domestic and international travelers, Grand Tour Italia offers an immersive, bird's-eye view of the diverse culinary and cultural traditions of Italy’s 20 regions, designed to whet your appetite for further exploration.
—Irene S. Levine, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
To whet your appetite (or wet your whistle), here are the current odds, courtesy of betonline.ag:
Ohtani, 1-12
Francisco Lindor, 5-1
Marcell Ozuna, 75-1
The postseason race
A look at how the teams stack up.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2024
Noun
Conway continued to press him, using a sports analogy to whet Trump’s competitive appetite.
—Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Oct. 2024
Should the halos in Sienese painting whet your appetite for expensive, shiny, metal stuff, the Brooklyn Museum has just the thing.
—The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whet
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near whet
Cite this Entry
“Whet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whet. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
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