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
Farideh Sadeghin, Wired News, 7 Nov. 2025
Lionsgate has released the first teaser, which may be only 60 seconds, but does enough to whet the appetite of fans who have been waiting months following the film's multiple delays.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
If that does turn out to be the case, there are plenty of other searches for extraterrestrials—such as NASA’s upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory—that can whet the appetite of those longing for signs of life elsewhere in the cosmos.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025
It’s definitely whetted my appetite to do a lot more.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whet
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Hit up Makina Cafe for Ethiopian food, Joe Coffee for your caffeine fix, or Three’s Brewing for something to whet your whistle.
—Farideh Sadeghin, Wired News, 7 Nov. 2025
Lionsgate has released the first teaser, which may be only 60 seconds, but does enough to whet the appetite of fans who have been waiting months following the film's multiple delays.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
If that does turn out to be the case, there are plenty of other searches for extraterrestrials—such as NASA’s upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory—that can whet the appetite of those longing for signs of life elsewhere in the cosmos.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2025
It’s definitely whetted my appetite to do a lot more.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whet
Cite this Entry
“Whet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whet. Accessed 25 Nov. 2025.
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