26984 words

sharpen

8 definitions ā€¢ 14 examples
1
to make something sharp or sharper:

Examples:

My pencil is blunt - I'll have to sharpen it.
figurative The company is cutting production costs in an attempt to sharpen its competitive edge (= in order to improve how competitive it is).
2
to make something stronger:

Examples:

The prison riots have sharpened the debate about how prisons should be run.
3
to improve:

Examples:

I hope this course will help me sharpen my computer skills.
I went to university to sharpen my mind.
sharpen your wits We'll need to sharpen our wits if we're going to defeat Jack's team.
4
to make something clearer:

Examples:

How do you sharpen the focus on this camera?
5
to make something play a higher musical note:

Examples:

You need to sharpen the A string on your violin.
6
to make something stronger, or to improve something:

Examples:

The dollarā€™s decline in value sharpened fears of another recession.
Iā€™m taking a course that should help me sharpen my computer skills.
7
to make something clearer:

Examples:

Turn the knob to sharpen the focus of the slide projector.
8
to make something sharp or sharper:

Examples:

We just had these knives/scissors sharpened.
He sharpened his pencil (= made the end used for writing come to a point).

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