sharpen

verb

sharp·​en ˈshär-pən 

sharpened; sharpening ˈshär-pə-niŋ 

ˈshärp-niŋ

transitive verb

: to make sharp or sharper

especially : hone

intransitive verb

: to become sharp or sharper

sharpener

ˈshär-pə-nər 

ˈshärp-nər

noun

Synonyms

• edge
• grind
• hone
• stone
• strop
• whet

Examples of sharpen in a Sentence

Can you sharpen the image?

The lecture sharpened my understanding of the topic.

The outlines of the mountains sharpened as we got closer.

Recent Examples on the Web

This system uses the company’s AI platform, which has been trained on millions of dental images, to sharpen blurry X-ray images and add color and other visualizations to more clearly highlight potential dental health issues. —Alex Knapp, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Heff’s struggles with this art — not to mention his inert, unsuccessful attempts to get a girlfriend — only sharpened his image of himself as a beautiful failure. —Mark Oppenheimer, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2024

This transit sharpens your communication skills at work and encourages you to dig deeper into projects that require research or investigation. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 11 Oct. 2024

But a year of war has sharpened existing grievances among some sections of Israeli society. —David Brennan, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing sharpen

• sharpen up

Kids Definition

sharpen

verb

sharp·​en ˈshär-pən 

sharpened; sharpening ˈshärp-(ə-)niŋ 

1

: to make or become sharp or sharper

sharpen a pencil

a better lens sharpened the image

pain that suddenly sharpened

2

: improve

sharpen one's skills

sharpener

ˈshärp-(ə-)nər 

noun