sharpen : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: sharpen	by the DICT Development Group
3 results for sharpen
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
sharpen v make sharp or sharper; "sharpen the knives" [ant: blunt, dull] make crisp or more crisp and precise; "We had to sharpen our arguments" become sharp or sharper; "The debate sharpened" put (an image) into focus; "Please focus the image; we cannot enjoy the movie" Synonym(s): focus, focalize, focalise, sharpen Antonym(s): blear, blur make (images or sounds) sharp or sharper Antonym(s): soften raise the pitch of (musical notes) Antonym(s): drop, flatten give a point to; "The candles are tapered" Synonym(s): sharpen, taper, point make (one's senses) more acute; "This drug will sharpen your vision" Synonym(s): sharpen, heighten
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Sharpen \Sharp"en\, v. i. To grow or become sharp.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Sharpen \Sharp"en\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Sarpened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Sharpening}.] [See {Sharp}, a.] To make sharp. Specifically: (a) To give a keen edge or fine point to; to make sharper; as, to sharpen an ax, or the teeth of a saw. (b) To render more quick or acute in perception; to make more ready or ingenious. The air . . . sharpened his visual ray To objects distant far. --Milton. He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. --Burke. (c) To make more eager; as, to sharpen men's desires. Epicurean cooks Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite. --Shak. (d) To make more pungent and intense; as, to sharpen a pain or disease. (e) To make biting, sarcastic, or severe. [bd]Sharpen each word.[b8] --E. Smith. (f) To render more shrill or piercing. Inclosures not only preserve sound, but increase and sharpen it. --Bacon. (g) To make more tart or acid; to make sour; as, the rays of the sun sharpen vinegar. (h) (Mus.) To raise, as a sound, by means of a sharp; to apply a sharp to.