How to Use stiffen in a Sentence

stiffen

verb

• The dogs stiffened in alarm.
• The law would stiffen penalties for tax evasion.
• She stiffened when he grabbed her shoulder.
• The dough will feel dense and will stiffen into a ball.
  — Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 30 June 2022
• Look for the Colts to stiffen up for much of this game and disallow Rodgers to run up the score.
  — Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 17 Nov. 2020
• Once Bud stepped in the ring, his face went cold and his cheekbones stiffened.
  — Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2023
• But as the years progress, his joints will stiffen and his muzzle will gray.
  — Emily Anthes, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
• When those air sacs become clogged, the lungs stiffen up.
  — oregonlive, 7 Apr. 2020
• The Senate panel amended the bill to keep the age at 14 but stiffen the penalty.
  — Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2020
• The only way to counter normative drift is to stiffen the guardrails.
  — David Montgomery, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2020
• In the moonlight, the boy stiffened and looked first at the river and then at Eunhae, who had brought her knees up to her chest.
  — Paul Yoon, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023
• This is when a frog stiffens its outstretched arms and legs to appear dead.
  — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Oct. 2023
• This system works like a vacuum that sucks air out from the coffee grounds to stiffen and loosen the foot.
  — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 3 June 2020
• The Falcons must stiffen up against the run, having allowed an average of 189.3 yards on the ground in the past three games.
  — Mark Heim | [e-mail], al, 4 Dec. 2022
• The deal doesn’t include a ratchet mechanism that would force the U.K. to stiffen its rule in lockstep with the EU.
  — Fortune, 25 Dec. 2020
• The Vikings’ defense stiffened there, stopping four straight running plays and forcing a turnover on downs at the 2.
  — Rick Hoff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2023
• The middle two quarters, the wind was in Serra’s face and the Panthers’ defense stiffened.
  — Mitch Stephens, SFChronicle.com, 7 Dec. 2019
• Tonic phase: This phase comes first, and causes the muscles in a person's body to stiffen.
  — Patti Greco, Health.com, 9 Nov. 2021
• But the defense stiffened, and the Browns made the halftime score respectable with the 56-yard TD pass to Landry, who got behind the defense over the middle.
  — Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland, 29 Dec. 2019
• The suspension tune is rather soft, but the adaptive dampers stiffen in an instant.
  — Jens Meiners, Car and Driver, 6 Nov. 2020
• Select cuttings 6-8 inches long from the tips of shoots with stems that have begun to stiffen around mid-May.
  — Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 20 Feb. 2021
• Fortunately for the Seahawks, the defense stiffened and forced a turnover on downs.
  — oregonlive, 6 Jan. 2020
• Butter: Helps thicken and stiffen the texture of the pudding for clean slicing.
  — Pam Lolley, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2023
• After a tough start, their defense stiffened, and their offense started to find a flow.
  — NBC News, 9 Jan. 2024
• In the human half of the building, new leadership took over, stiffening the rules about contact with apes.
  — Dan Musgrave, Longreads, 9 May 2023
• The lungs stiffen and fill with blood and fluid until the person suffocates.
  — Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2020
• DeWine tried to stiffen penalties for those who use guns in violent crimes and who sell firearms to those banned from having them.
  — Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 25 May 2021
• Kia said in the documents that adding stiffening ribs around the housing of the mounting clips fixes the problem.
  — Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 11 Sep. 2023
• According to WebMD, years of high blood pressure can stiffen and narrow your artery walls, which blocks the blood flow to your heart.
  — Nancy Clanton, ajc, 28 Dec. 2020
• Dial it up from Smooth mode to Swift or Sprint and power shifts toward the rear axle as the Bilstein dampers stiffen to create a sportier drive.
  — Nicolas Stecher, Robb Report, 19 Feb. 2022

Last Updated: 28 May 2024