strop

as in to sharpen
to make sharp or sharper at the museum they showed us how men used to strop razors with leather bands before the days of disposable blades

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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 strop To strop, draw your knife backward from heel to tip. Craig Caudill, Field & Stream, 13 July 2023 The Department of Transportation said the policy was in response to Beijing's refusal to allow a resumption of flights to China by U.S. carriers that stropped flying to China due to U.S. coronavirus restrictions. Harold Maass, TheWeek, 4 June 2020 Sometimes a leafy twig is selected, and before this can be used the chimpanzee has to strop off the leaves. National Geographic, 17 Apr. 2019 There’s little thunder, no off-piste mental excursions, no sense of a writer stropping his razor. New York Times, 9 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strop
Verb
  • This sharpens the focus on customer outcomes and transforms vague ideas into concrete solutions.
    Jaime Vallés, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • When Mercury enters your sign on June 26, your ability to communicate your needs and boundaries sharpens.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • It’s made from grinding green tea leaves—which can be varying grades of quality—into a fine powder, which is then whisked with hot water to create a thick, frothy liquid.
    Devorah Lev-Tov, Vogue, 20 June 2025
  • The bark is stripped off the trees, dried, and ground into the brown powder that ends up in your spice rack.
    Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Strop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strop. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

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