as in grinding
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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Recent Examples of sharpening
The dynamic Sun steps into your 10th House of Career and Status, sharpening your voice and public presence.
—
Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 Feb. 2026
Beyond sharpening elite preparation, Dornstauder says, the same tool should help expand access to wheelchair curling for people with disabilities who face mobility challenges or limited ice availability.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2026
Score a classic Lodge cast iron skillet that comes pre-seasoned, a 6-quart Ninja air fryer that bakes, roasts, and reheats, plus a set of self-sharpening Henckels knives with over 1,800 five-star ratings.
—Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2026
The theoretical findings could help in practical applications, such as sharpening the accuracy of weather forecasts and engineering the next generation of hyper-efficient vehicles and airfoils.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
Customer data will drive our decisions, sharpening our edge in delivering what is most valuable to our audiences.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2026
Modern folding saws are effective for larger branches and have replaceable blades, eliminating the need for sharpening.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Jan. 2026
Mercury fuses with Pluto in your money zone, sharpening budget choices and prompting frank talks about fair compensation.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
Enter the maintenance method called honing (which is different from sharpening), which uses a honing steel, also known as a honing rod.
—Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 15 Jan. 2026
Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 18 Feb. 2026
Beyond sharpening elite preparation, Dornstauder says, the same tool should help expand access to wheelchair curling for people with disabilities who face mobility challenges or limited ice availability.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2026
Score a classic Lodge cast iron skillet that comes pre-seasoned, a 6-quart Ninja air fryer that bakes, roasts, and reheats, plus a set of self-sharpening Henckels knives with over 1,800 five-star ratings.
—Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 13 Feb. 2026
The theoretical findings could help in practical applications, such as sharpening the accuracy of weather forecasts and engineering the next generation of hyper-efficient vehicles and airfoils.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
Customer data will drive our decisions, sharpening our edge in delivering what is most valuable to our audiences.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2026
Modern folding saws are effective for larger branches and have replaceable blades, eliminating the need for sharpening.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Jan. 2026
Mercury fuses with Pluto in your money zone, sharpening budget choices and prompting frank talks about fair compensation.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
Enter the maintenance method called honing (which is different from sharpening), which uses a honing steel, also known as a honing rod.
—Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sharpening
Verb
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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
-
This week, the optimism of spring has given way to the grinding reality of the sport, all before teams conducted their first workouts.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Throughout their 52 years in operation as a family business, Elizabeth’s distinguished itself by honing concise and persuasive staff recommendations.—
Jess deCourcy Hinds
February 13,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Headquartered south of Munich in Kochel, Germany, Nugget Schmiede got its start on the rental and sale side of the Ford Nugget, eventually honing its skills at customizing Ford's small camper van and developing aftermarket components and accessories for it.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sharpening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sharpening. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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