# sharpen

Pronunciation: US say "SHAR-puhn" /ˈʃɑɹpən/; UK say "SHAH-puhn" /ˈʃɑːpən/

## Verb

1. To make something sharp or sharper, such as a blade or a pencil point, or, figuratively, a skill or a feeling.
   - Simple: To make something sharp, like a knife or a pencil, or to make a skill better.
   - _The chef sharpens his knives on a whetstone every morning._
   - _Daily practice against stronger players will sharpen your chess skills._
2. To become sharp or sharper, as when a conflict or a feeling grows more intense.
   - Simple: To become sharper, or to get stronger and more intense.
   - _As the deadline neared, the tension in the office began to sharpen._
   - _Fighting between the two factions sharpened through the winter._

## Origin

From Middle English scharpenen or scharpnen, equivalent to sharp + -en.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sharpen (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).