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sharpener

sharpener

10 1.1
A tool that makes a pencil point or knife edge thin and ready to use
  • noun
  • /ˈʃɑːrpənər/
translation icon : afilador
  • Two pencils and a sharpener lay next to him on the breakfast table.
  • a pencil sharpener

A tiny shower of sparks erupting from the knife sharpener's truck, who daily leans a blade into stone.

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Examples

  • My brother's favorite thing was using the pencil sharpener.

  • Gus had once offered to buy her an electric sharpener, but Beth had pooh-poohed the suggestion.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • You do need to get a lead sharpener for this.

  • I just bought this pencil sharpener, and I am in love!

    Blog text (20)
  • And yes, I have that pencil sharpener, and it is the best thing EVER invented.

    Blog text (20)
  • Now, I am obsessed with acquiring the quietest pencil sharpener in the world.

    Blog text (20)
  • Jean spies an electric pencil sharpener and plugs it in.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • One will also need an ample supply of the old-fashioned hand-held twist-type pencil sharpeners (yes, they still make them).

    Academic text (2007)
  • The participating pupils were given biscuits, sweets, pencils, pens, erasers, and pencil sharpeners as incentives.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Jay thrust his pencil into the sharpener on his desk and got to work.

Synonyms

pencil sharpener
vssharpener
4 1.0

A small tool that makes the tip of a pencil sharp

is more general and applies to many kinds of edges and tips
hone
vssharpener
2 6.7

A stone used to make blades or tools sharp

is more general and covers many targets beyond manual edge work
honing machine
vssharpener
  • Specialized
7.7

A machine that uses a rotating stone to make metal surfaces smooth and exact

is mainly for sharpening edges or points rather than precise industrial finishing

Compounds

A small tool that makes the tip of a pencil sharp

How Effective

grinding wheel
  • Specialized
1 3.9
whetstone
2 7.6
strop
2 9.8
sharpener
10 1.1

Surface Forms

sharpener singular
sharpeners plural

Morphology

sharpener = sharpen (transparent) = sharp + en + er

The word is formed by adding the agentive suffix '-er' to the verb 'sharpen', yielding a tool that performs sharpening.

Etymology

Sharpener comes from the word sharp ('pointed' or 'able to cut') plus the simple ending -er ('one that does something'), like in baker or cleaner. So a sharpener is a tool that 'makes things sharp'.