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🔪 To make sharp 🔍 To make clearer 🎵 To raise pitch
to sharpen

to sharpen

35 2.1
To make the edge or tip of something thin and able to cut, like a knife
  • verb
  • /ˈʃɑːrpən/
translation icon : afilar
  • On top, a mischievous black and white cat sharpened his claws on what might have been turquoise carpet.
  • sharpen a pencil
  • sharpen a stick
  • sharpen to a point

Once my pencil is sharpened, I'll be ready for another treat.

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Examples

  • Let me just sharpen my pencil for a moment mid video.

  • It can take a month to sharpen and Polish a single sword.

  • But yeah, you you would need to sharpen your sword Shields, Troy.

  • They're here for a reason to actually help themselves, sharpen their own tools.

    Ken McElroy

  • And all this will do is it will it will sharpen the edges that we've created.

  • Roger sharpened a stick at both ends.

    Lord of the Flies (1963)

  • When's the last time you had this thing sharpened?

    Fool's Gold (2008)

  • Researchers carrying clipboards and sharpened pencils came in to talk with me.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • On this, Harmony sharpened the blade, sharpened it till its edge gleamed with promise.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • She used a whetstone to sharpen her kitchen knives before the dinner party.

Synonyms

to hone
vsto sharpen
8 5.5

To make a blade or tool sharp using a fine stone

is broader, not only done with a fine stone to improve cutting
to set
vsto sharpen
2 8.4

To give a sharp edge to a knife or razor

is broader, not only about producing a very fine cutting edge
to whet
vsto sharpen
1 8.8

To make a blade or tool sharper by rubbing it on a stone

is broader, not limited to stone use when improving a tool's cutting ability
to edge
vsto sharpen
1 4.2

To give something a border or to make its side sharp

focuses specifically on improving a tool's cutting ability rather than adding a border
to strap
vsto sharpen
  • UK
1 7.4

To sharpen a razor by rubbing it on a leather band

is the general action, not restricted to leather strip use
to strop
vsto sharpen
8.6

To rub a blade on leather to make its edge smooth and sharp

is the general action, not limited to leather band polishing
to resharpen
vsto sharpen
3.0

To make a tool or blade sharp again after it becomes dull

is the general action, not only done after a tool becomes dull

Antonyms

to dull
33 3.4

Cause something to become less sharp, strong or bright

Phrasal Verbs

to sharpen focus
4.0

To make your attention clearer and stronger

to sharpen skills
3.9

To get better at a skill by practising

to sharpen someone's mind
5.0

To help someone think more clearly and quickly

How Sharp

strop
2 9.8
to hone
8 5.5
to sharpen
35 2.1
file
54 5.6
to grind
61 2.4

Surface Forms

sharpen infinitive
sharpened past
sharpened past participle
sharpening present participle
sharpens third person singular

Morphology

sharpen = sharp (transparent) = sharp + en

The verb 'sharpen' is transparently derived from the adjective 'sharp' using the suffix '-en', which indicates making or becoming.

Etymology

Sharpen comes from the old English word sharp, which meant 'pointed' or 'cutting', so to sharpen something is to make its edge more pointed and able to cut.