Sharpen — Sharp en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Sarpened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Sharpening}.] [See {Sharp}, a.] To make sharp. Specifically: (a) To give a keen edge or fine point to; to make sharper; as, to sharpen an ax, or the teeth of a saw. (b) To render more… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sharpen up — [phrasal verb] : to become better, smarter, more skillful, etc. You d better sharpen up if you want to keep your job. • • • Main Entry: ↑sharpen … Useful english dictionary
Sharpen — Sharp en, v. i. To grow or become sharp. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sharpen — index enhance, intensify Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
sharpen — 1520s, from SHARP (Cf. sharp) + EN (Cf. en) (1). Related: Sharpened; sharpening … Etymology dictionary
sharpen — [v] make knifelike acuminate, dress, edge, file, grind, hone, make acute, make sharp, put an edge on, put a point on, sharp, stroke, strop, taper, whet; concepts 137,250 Ant. blunt, dull … New thesaurus
sharpen — ► VERB ▪ make or become sharp. DERIVATIVES sharpener noun … English terms dictionary
sharpen — [shär′pən] vt., vi. to make or become sharp or sharper sharpener n … English World dictionary
sharpen */ — UK [ˈʃɑː(r)pən] / US [ˈʃɑrpən] verb Word forms sharpen : present tense I/you/we/they sharpen he/she/it sharpens present participle sharpening past tense sharpened past participle sharpened 1) [transitive] to make something such as a knife, tool,… … English dictionary
sharpen — sharp|en [ ʃarpən ] verb * 1. ) transitive to make something such as a knife, tool, or pencil sharp 2. ) sharpen or sharpen up intransitive or transitive to improve or make something improve: The program will give young athletes the chance to… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
