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sharpening

USSHAR-puhn-ing/ˈʃɑɹpənɪŋ/UKSHAH-puhn-ing/ˈʃɑːpənɪŋ/

Noun pluralsharpenings

3 meanings of sharpening

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  1. 1
    verb
    Present participle and gerund of sharpen. Use it after "is" or "are," or to talk about doing the action.

    Grandpa is sharpening the kitchen knives.

    She is sharpening her Spanish before the trip.

    Note
  2. 2
    nouncountable or uncountable
    Making something sharp, or sharper than it was before.

    These scissors need a good sharpening.

    The hardware store charges five dollars for each knife sharpening.

    Similarhoning, whetting

    Note
  3. 3
    nouncountableplural
    The small bits that come off a pencil when you sharpen it.

    She swept the pencil sharpenings off her desk and into the trash.

    After art class, the floor was covered in colorful sharpenings.

    Similarshavings

    Note

sharpening is a form of sharpen

sharpen, verb: To make something sharp, like a knife or a pencil, or to make a skill better. Full entry

Forms
sharpensharpens he/she/itsharpening -ing formsharpened past tense, past participle
Spelling
sharpen → sharpening: add -ing

Practice

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