sharpen
English
Etymology
From Middle English scharpenen, scharpnen, equivalent to sharp + -en.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL. IPA(key): /ˈʃɑɹpɨn/
- Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)pən
Verb
sharpen (third-person singular simple present sharpens, present participle sharpening, simple past and past participle sharpened)
- (transitive, sometimes figurative) To make sharp.
- to sharpen a pencil or a knife
- (Can we date this quote by Edmund Burke and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill.
- 2013 July 26, Leo Hickman, “How algorithms rule the world”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 26:
- The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives. […] who, if anyone, is policing their use. Such concerns were sharpened further by the continuing revelations about how the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been using algorithms to help it interpret the colossal amounts of data it has collected from its covert dragnet of international telecommunications.
- (intransitive) To become sharp.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to make sharp
|
Anagrams
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms suffixed with -en (inchoative)
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɑː(ɹ)pən
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- Requests for date/Edmund Burke
- English terms with quotations
- English intransitive verbs