stiffen

verb

stiff·​en ˈsti-fən How to pronounce stiffen (audio)
stiffened; stiffening ˈsti-fə-niŋ How to pronounce stiffen (audio)
ˈstif-niŋ

intransitive verb

: to become stiff or stiffer
stiffener
ˈsti-fə-nər How to pronounce stiffen (audio)
ˈstif-nər
noun

Examples of stiffen in a Sentence

She stiffened when he grabbed her shoulder. The dogs stiffened in alarm. The law would stiffen penalties for tax evasion.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The affected areas turn white and then blue and may stiffen as they’re deprived of oxygen, Amanda Sammut, MD, the chief of rheumatology at Harlem Hospital and an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University, who has Raynaud’s herself, tells SELF. Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 6 Feb. 2025 Crime The biggest crime fight on the ballot is over Proposition 36, a measure that would stiffen penalties for some thefts and drug crimes and change parts of a controversial 2014 ballot measure that reduced several felonies to misdemeanors. Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024 Spritzing the end of the thread with hairspray will stiffen it just enough to be able to be threaded more easily, but keeps enough flexibility to be used. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2025 Restrictive cardiomyopathy: Another rare type, this causes heart muscles to stiffen, which in turn prevents the heart’s ventricles from filling with enough blood to pump throughout the body. Elizabeth Millard, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stiffen 

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of stiffen was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near stiffen

Cite this Entry

“Stiffen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stiffen. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

stiffen

verb
stiff·​en ˈstif-ən How to pronounce stiffen (audio)
stiffened; stiffening -(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce stiffen (audio)
: to make or become stiff or stiffer
stiffener noun

More from Merriam-Webster on stiffen

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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