Definition of sharpennext
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Ice is commonly prescribed to fix dull blades, but do ice cubes really sharpen them? Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2026 Scorpio October 23 – November 21 When depth calls, your focus sharpens naturally. Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2026 Housing supply has struggled to keep pace, causing spiralling rents and shortages that have sharpened unease about immigration. Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 15 Feb. 2026 Farhan talks about how distance sharpened the awareness of what could and could not be done from safety. Eda Uysen, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sharpen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sharpen
Verb
  • Designed by Gove & Walsh, the building once housed a spice grinding mill, roasting plant, extract laboratory and print shop.
    Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2026
  • Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukrainian land, but over almost four years of grinding war, those territorial gains are thought to have cost Russia over a million casualties.
    Holly Williams, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Pupping, founder and director of the Encinitas Guitar Orchestra (now in its 23rd season), brings his eclectic mastery of classical, jazz, world music, rock, and pop, honed through studies with members of the legendary Los Romeros Guitar Quartet.
    News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
  • The targets are often closely researched and tracked beforehand and the schemes themselves have been honed to an incredibly successful point.
    Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • That type of performance might whet the appetites of public market investors, who have not seen many new issuances of technology companies with high growth rates.
    Jordan Novet, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
  • And feeling the foundations of the building shake from just inside the tunnel while the crowd roared for Corey Crawford — underappreciated in his time but revered in retirement — can’t help but whet their appetites.
    Scott Powers, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Sharpen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sharpen. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

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