whets 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of whet
as in sharpens
to make sharp or sharper whetted the knife with the grindstone

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

whets

2 of 2

noun

plural of whet
as in nips

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 whets
Verb
But the talent on display whets the appetite for the multihyphenate’s next projects after this work’s debut in Venice as part of the wider Biennale College. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026 Like anticipation for an upcoming summer blockbuster movie, the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll whets the appetite for college football fans ahead of the teams returning to the field. — Erick Smith, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026 Some of the Summertime launch‘s most delicious harvests have already sold out, so don’t think too long or too hard about it before snagging everything that catches your eye… and whets your appetite. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whets
  1. sharpens
  2. nips
  3. loads
  4. pops
  5. snorts
  6. pegs
  7. belts
  8. slugs
Verb
  • Clarity delivered with genuine respect sharpens leadership rather than weakening it.
    — Vaishali Dev, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Blind, which follows a writer whose loss of sight sharpens her creative imagination, premiered in Sundance and Berlin.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of sharpens
Noun
  • Expansions, nips, and tucks happened over the years, but the British Colonial design was needing a facelift when Hurricane Irma decimated the island in September 2017.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Not even regular nips from a hidden bottle of whiskey in the garage can ease Greg’s self-loathing.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of nips
Noun
  • And some manage the difficult trick of tasting like fall without giving off loads of scented-candle energy.
    — Monti Carlo, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • PlusAI uses sand to simulate the loads its trailers must carry to support research and development testing, as carrying the material closely mimics real freight conditions.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of loads
Noun
  • The lineup is generally made up of Ikea’s signature neutral tones like pine, black, and white, and highlighted with pops of Xbox green.
    — Bee Wertheimer, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
  • This drab palette, however, is offset by bright pops of green through the glow-in-the-dark tendril overlays and the heel’s Adiprene and Torsion elements.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of pops
Noun
  • The Rodents of Unusual Size that attack Westley in a swamp work because they are played by small men in rodent suits, rather than coolly conjured from pixels; their deliberate artifice is the thrill, and Reiner provided the voice for their hideous snorts.
    — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of snorts
Noun
  • After axemen cleared paths through the oaks, elms, and basswoods, the surveyors stretched a standardized measure called a Gunter’s chain—a hundred links to a chain, eighty chains to a mile—and marked the distances with tally pegs.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Anniversaries are ready pegs for journalists, sometimes reached for too automatically.
    — Kurt Shillinger, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of pegs
Noun
  • Palace wall paintings, floral motifs and intricate carvings are used in modern forms for silver and champagne gold anchor statement earrings, layered necklaces, cuffs, rings, brooches and belts.
    — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The Rulebook Is Behind The Technology Seat belts did not become standard because manufacturers volunteered.
    — Alan Rencher, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of belts
Noun
  • Families can learn about slugs, spiders, vultures and more during Creepy Critters Month at the Knoch Knolls Nature Center, 320 Knoch Knolls Road, a park district news release said.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • With the light load of powder that was behind them, these slugs couldn’t possibly have killed the tigress unless an extremely lucky shot had put them into a vital area at very close range.
    — Leslie E. Tassell, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of slugs

Browse Nearby Words

whether or no
whets
whetted
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Cite this Entry

“Whets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whets. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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