Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive & intransitive verb To make or become sharp or sharper.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make sharp or sharper; render more acute, keen, eager, active, intensive, quick, biting, severe, tart, etc.: as, to sharpen a sword or a knife; to sharpen the appetite; to sharpen vinegar.
  • In music, same as sharp, v., 2.
  • To make something sharp; put a keen edge or sharp point on something.
  • To grow or become sharp.
  • In music, same as sharp.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To give a keen edge or fine point to; to make sharper.
  • transitive verb To render more quick or acute in perception; to make more ready or ingenious.
  • transitive verb To make more eager.
  • transitive verb To make more pungent and intense.
  • transitive verb To make biting, sarcastic, or severe.
  • transitive verb To render more shrill or piercing.
  • transitive verb To make more tart or acid; to make sour.
  • transitive verb (Mus.) To raise, as a sound, by means of a sharp; to apply a sharp to.
  • intransitive verb To grow or become sharp.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To make sharp

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb make (images or sounds) sharp or sharper
  • verb make sharp or sharper
  • verb make (one's senses) more acute
  • verb make crisp or more crisp and precise
  • verb give a point to
  • verb put (an image) into focus
  • verb become sharp or sharper
  • verb raise the pitch of (musical notes)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

sharp + -en

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