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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Example 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 Her next pivot sharpened her commercial instincts. Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025 With each appearance on stage, Blue Ivy, who was 11 years old at the time, continued to gain confidence and sharpen her choreography, garnering her own fan following. Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025 Focus is sharpened on players who can augment Emery’s squad in the here and now. Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025 Families nationwide are sharpening pencils, dusting off backpacks and setting alarm clocks as another school year gets underway. David Weiss, Boston Herald, 26 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sharpen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sharpen
Verb
  • Just keep grinding, keep working.
    Matt Gelb, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
  • That’s when most of the area’s biggest theaters grind back into action.
    David Lyman, The Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Over millennia, marine animals have honed ears and sonar-like abilities to read their world in vibrations and echoes, turning the ocean into a place both alive with sound and fine-tuned to its subtleties.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The technology has been honed for most types of vehicles First Student operates.
    Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Josh Harris, the Commanders’ owner, made his fortune as the co-founder of Apollo Global Management and while ownership rests with him personally and not any PE firm, his investment had to whet the appetite for more from the NFL and PE investors.
    Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • And while this was only one exhibition game with a lot of good and some teachable moments, Dart looked enough like an NFL quarterback against the Bills to whet the fans’ appetite of what’s to come.
    Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 11 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sharpen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sharpen. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

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