as in grinding
to make sharp or sharper
you need to sharpen your penknife's blade frequently in order to be able to whittle properly
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Recent Examples of sharpening
The Sun forms a cazimi with Mercury in Taurus in your 10th House of Career, sharpening your sense of direction, timing, and public voice.
—
Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
Comparing data with these missions will allow the mission scientists to hone their calibration of the imaging instruments, sharpening the interpretation of their data once the mission arrives at the asteroid Psyche.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
By evening, the Moon enters your 1st House of Self, sharpening courage, attraction, and initiative.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 May 2026
The campaigns themselves continued sharpening those contrasts after the debate ended.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 8 May 2026
According to Plunge, cold-water immersion triggers norepinephrine, a chemical messenger that delivers a burst of energy while sharpening focus.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026
Kristen Kish shows off her knife-sharpening skills at Studio City Farmers Market on May 3 in Los Angeles.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
Boyle said the focus is on sharpening product assortments and making the brand more approachable through partnerships and targeted categories.
—Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Minimal nicks can typically be removed by sharpening the blades, but serious damage may necessitate a blade replacement.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 May 2026
Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
Comparing data with these missions will allow the mission scientists to hone their calibration of the imaging instruments, sharpening the interpretation of their data once the mission arrives at the asteroid Psyche.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
By evening, the Moon enters your 1st House of Self, sharpening courage, attraction, and initiative.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 May 2026
The campaigns themselves continued sharpening those contrasts after the debate ended.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 8 May 2026
According to Plunge, cold-water immersion triggers norepinephrine, a chemical messenger that delivers a burst of energy while sharpening focus.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026
Kristen Kish shows off her knife-sharpening skills at Studio City Farmers Market on May 3 in Los Angeles.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
Boyle said the focus is on sharpening product assortments and making the brand more approachable through partnerships and targeted categories.
—Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Minimal nicks can typically be removed by sharpening the blades, but serious damage may necessitate a blade replacement.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sharpening
Verb
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Conventionally, cement is made by grinding up limestone and heating up to around 3,000 degrees.—
Alex Knapp,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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The stock peaked near $570, rolled over hard, and spent months grinding through a deep correction that took it all the way back to the low $300s.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Riley kept moving, crashing parties at the Sundance Film Festival and toting the screenplay everywhere, honing his pitch.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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Siddiq’s journey to comedy began when he was imprisoned for cocaine trafficking at 19, finding solace in honing his voice and telling jokes.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sharpening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sharpening. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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