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

It’s definitely whetted my appetite to do a lot more. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025

Ahead of the release, we've been given a new Avatar: Fire & Ash trailer to whet our appetites. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2025

Exposure to the outside world, through her father's work, must have whetted MacLeod's appetite for travel, Crichton says. —Lauren Frayer, NPR, 14 Sep. 2025

Josh Harris, the Commanders’ owner, made his fortune as the co-founder of Apollo Global Management and while ownership rests with him personally and not any PE firm, his investment had to whet the appetite for more from the NFL and PE investors. —Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 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