as in to grind
to make sharp or sharper you need to sharpen your penknife's blade frequently in order to be able to whittle properly

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sharpen Make sure your blades are sharpened before the last cut of the season so the lawn goes into dormancy as healthy as possible. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025 These bouts of illness forced him into hours of quiet isolation but also sharpened his resolve and planted a deep seed of empathy. Liz McNeil, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025 But narrowing the list from there gets tricky, inevitably leaving out talented players, including those who sharpened their skills during later professional careers. Doug Feinberg, Twin Cities, 18 Oct. 2025 At every turn, Influencer reveals that her psychology is deeper and weirder than expected, with Naud’s performance sharpening CW’s thornier edges. Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sharpen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sharpen
Verb
  • Worcestershire, dry mustard, and ground red pepper combine with your go-to cheese, for a foolproof party snack.
    Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Teflon’s nonstick, nonreactive characteristics hinge on its immensely strong carbon-fluorine bonds, but the ball mill can break these bonds apart by grinding them with the sodium metal.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Along the way, Phillips could further hone his game on the Korn Ferry Tour, a developmental professional tour, and maybe also find an avenue to the PGA through Q School tournaments.
    Alex Valdes, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • That Beijing is honing its ability to mount a blockade isn’t in doubt.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
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

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Cite this Entry

“Sharpen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sharpen. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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