as in to strengthen
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
plans to further stiffen the already onerous requirements for admission to the elite military unit
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Recent Examples of stiffen
The rings arise because the metal softens as the can compresses, then stiffens, then compresses and stiffens again, repeating the pattern until the compression is complete—akin to something called homoclinic snaking.
—
ArsTechnica, 2 May 2026
Will these Knicks stick to the process when the competition stiffens in the second round?
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
The journey of King Charles and the Queen consort had been planned for some time, well before relations between the United Kingdom and the United States stiffened due to international tensions, compounded by the assassination attempt on Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
—Giorgia Olivieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Apr. 2026
If your soft-sided carrier has an insert to stiffen the bottom of the bag, don’t forget to remove and wash the insert, too.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stiffen
ArsTechnica, 2 May 2026
Will these Knicks stick to the process when the competition stiffens in the second round?
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
The journey of King Charles and the Queen consort had been planned for some time, well before relations between the United Kingdom and the United States stiffened due to international tensions, compounded by the assassination attempt on Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
—Giorgia Olivieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Apr. 2026
If your soft-sided carrier has an insert to stiffen the bottom of the bag, don’t forget to remove and wash the insert, too.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stiffen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiffen
strengthen
Verb
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Ensuring 100% availability is the stitch in time for strengthening the storage infrastructure for business continuity.—
Eric Herzog,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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In 2025, 250 professionals benefited from technical training programs to strengthen local crews as demand grows.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stiffen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffen. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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