1
as in to harden
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force
lifting weights every day will eventually strengthen your muscles the army makes new recruits run for miles in order to strengthen them
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2
as in to fortify
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
required weeks of physical therapy to strengthen his arm enough to pitch for the team again
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3
as in to enhance
to make markedly greater in measure or degree
encouraged the boarding school students to strengthen their ties with the community by doing public service
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4
as in to brace
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
strengthened herself for the moment she'd have to tell her friend that she had lost the borrowed necklace
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of strengthen
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin urged local universities to take a more active role in attracting global talent and strengthening Hong Kong's reputation as a premier destination for higher education.
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Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 May 2025
The Iranian government, meanwhile, exploited the Assad regime’s weakness to strengthen its influence across Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, destabilizing those countries and strengthening armed nonstate groups.
—Natasha Hall, Foreign Affairs, 27 May 2025
For the last two years, Fay Elementary School has been a community school — part of a state-level program designed to strengthen the partnership between local schools and their communities by providing school-specific resources for families and students.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2025
The egg shell is strengthened further by a thin inner collagen layer.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for strengthen
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 May 2025
The Iranian government, meanwhile, exploited the Assad regime’s weakness to strengthen its influence across Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, destabilizing those countries and strengthening armed nonstate groups.
—Natasha Hall, Foreign Affairs, 27 May 2025
For the last two years, Fay Elementary School has been a community school — part of a state-level program designed to strengthen the partnership between local schools and their communities by providing school-specific resources for families and students.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2025
The egg shell is strengthened further by a thin inner collagen layer.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for strengthen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strengthen
Verb
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Related article Ships, sea drones and AI: How NATO is hardening its defense of critical Baltic undersea cables CNN was not able to locate the registered owner of the Jaguar for comment.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
20 May 2025
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These devices must be hardened against attackers seeking stealthy persistence.—
Yuriy Bulygin,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Verb
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Lawmakers should strengthen existing incentives for states and cities to adopt resilience measures—fortifying homes against wind, hail, flooding, and wildfires—to lower costs for both property owners and insurance companies when disasters strike.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
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Other studies show that tea decreased iron absorption from wheat bread fortified with ferrous sulfate or ferrous fumarate by 56 to 72%.1 Individual variation: Still, additional research is necessary to establish the best time to drink tea without affecting iron absorption.—
Melissa Nieves,
Verywell Health,
21 May 2025
Verb
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Britt wants to see expansions of two child care tax breaks, as she’s pushed a bipartisan measure with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) aimed at enhancing support for child and dependent care.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2025
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Its main three areas of focus revolve around advocating for the legal profession, eliminating bias and enhancing diversity, as well as advancing the rule of law.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
30 May 2025
Verb
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While this can present challenges like balancing our workloads between AI agents and employees, with careful preparation and testing, companies can better brace themselves for the future.—
Syed Ahmed,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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Becker’s premise is bracing: Tech oligarchs’ wildest visions of tomorrow amount to a modern secular theology that is both mesmerizing and, in his view, deeply misguided.—
John Kaag,
The Atlantic,
28 May 2025
Verb
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The schedule stiffens considerably over the back half of the season.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 May 2025
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Lucy’s Law, among other things, stiffens the penalties for seriously injuring someone in a boat crash.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
9 May 2025
Verb
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The focus is on teaching and learning with a new playbook and minute but important details such as adjusting his footwork when receiving the snap.—
Brad Biggs,
Chicago Tribune,
21 May 2025
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That's starting with support for Gmail, which allows AI Mode to adjust based on things like booking emails and online purchase receipts.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
21 May 2025
Verb
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The September departure of OpenAI’s chief technology officer, Mira Murati, who then founded a rival AI startup, has intensified the AI talent war.—
Anna Tong,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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Working with players on a daily basis allows medical teams to develop strong relationships with them, but this can intensify the pressure to make the right decisions.—
Geoff Scott,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
Verb
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Some others who just missed the cut in February signed on for worlds in hopes of of bolstering their cases when U.S. general manager Bill Guerin makes his final roster decisions for the 2026 Winter Olympics.—
Carol Schram,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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With the top 10 generating over $8.4 million, a shade under last week’s total, the Korean box office maintained solid momentum heading into the final days of May, bolstered by a mix of major franchise fare and reliable local hits.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Strengthen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strengthen. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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