as in to grind
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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Examples 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 sharpen The report outlines several specific policy prescriptions in order to weaken Iran and argues that the U.S. government should first build a pressure campaign against Iran which will sharpen the regime's choices. Chris Massaro, Fox News, 13 Jan. 2025 All pruning shears can be sharpened, but shears that can be disassembled are easier to work on. Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2025 The war room relaunch is the latest example of the Democratic Party trying to sharpen its online presence — particularly on alternative media platforms — after the election revealed that Trump's media strategy broke through. Erin Doherty, Axios, 13 Jan. 2025 Organizations need to invest in AI training programs and empower and reward employees for sharpening their skills. Gary Drenik, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for sharpen 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sharpen
Verb
  • The duo’s first album, Good Years, arrives Jan. 31, with shades of Montgomery Gentry and Brooks & Dunn influencing its grinding, upbeat sound.
    Tom Roland, Billboard, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Teen LinkedIn: Children under the age of seventeen can apply for jobs, expand their professional network, and get a head start at grinding their teeth at night.
    JiJi Lee, The New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Somehow, Ben Stiller and the rest of the creative team have taken every stunning visual aspect of Season 1 and honed it into an artform.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Arch-nemesis North Korea has been dispatching troops to help Vladimir Putin in Ukraine and honing its ballistic missile capability, while China is drastically building up its military might.
    Charlie Campbell, TIME, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • His appetite for the catwalk was whetted after he was selected to be a guest designer at Pitti Uomo in Florence last January.
    Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 10 Jan. 2025
  • The White Lotus Season 3 also looks fantastic, with a rather steamy first trailer to whet our appetites.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near sharpen

Cite this Entry

“Sharpen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sharpen. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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