How to Use harden in a Sentence

harden

verb
  • The presence of certain substances in the blood can cause the arteries to harden.
  • These additives are designed to harden the steel.
  • He had been hardened by his years of military service.
  • The news has hardened opposition to the government.
  • The ground will harden and frost over.
    — Morgan Lockhart, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
  • But their hearts were hardened.
    — Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 24 Apr. 2026
  • But their hearts were hardened.
    — CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
  • But their hearts were hardened.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
  • It had been hardened too much for an emotion so soft.
    — Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Johnson’s own tone has hardened as the week has worn on.
    — Nik Popli, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Heat waves harden the ground and make flooding worse.
    — Mark Gongloff, Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Once shaped, the warriors were fired in a kiln to harden them.
    — Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 18 Nov. 2020
  • Pale, green or yellow fruit is not ripe and will harden and sour.
    — Darlene Zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, 2 June 2018
  • Slather on some clay, lay down, and bake until hardened.
    — Devorah Lev-Tov, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Jan. 2026
  • They’d be hardened to anything that life and work threw their way.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
  • Don’t forget to harden your seedlings off first.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Mar. 2026
  • And those things hardened their proverbial steak, too.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Again, your goal is not to harden your son to the meanness of the world.
    — Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 21 Dec. 2022
  • When your bread is about to go stale, stick it in the freezer to harden.
    — People Staff, Peoplemag, 24 Oct. 2022
  • The same team and the same coach, but hardened by having to walk through the rain.
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • Then the wings will fill with fluid and the bodies will harden.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 6 Apr. 2021
  • The rice will harden and take longer and longer to absorb water.
    — Jesse Sparks, Bon Appétit, 3 Sep. 2019
  • After, harden off the plants before putting them in the ground.
    — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 4 May 2026
  • The snow will get soft and a bit slushy in the afternoon but harden up at night.
    — Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2021
  • The regime shapes us into its likeness, hardens the heart.
    — Azar Nafisi, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
  • If the wax is still soft, freeze the item to harden the wax, and then scrape off the excess wax.
    — Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping, 24 Dec. 2018
  • This will keep gloves from hardening and extend their life.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 8 June 2026
  • And once it’s shaped and hardened, the rest is just arithmetic and money.
    — John Kass, chicagotribune.com, 13 July 2018
  • If going this route, don't forget to harden off your seedlings.
    — Kerry Michaels, The Spruce, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Old rags hardened by paint and ashtrays sat on tables; his trench coat hung on a wall.
    — Dina Gachman, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 July 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harden.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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