stiffen
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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If Powell stays, that arithmetic becomes even harder, and it could stiffen the resolve of other governors whose terms run beyond Powell’s, said Wilcox.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
As these weaken and stiffen over time it can affect walking, talking, eating and breathing.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
She has also vowed to stiffen prison sentences and to impose a state of emergency in areas worst hit by crime.
From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026
Calling the eradication of extortion “one of the great challenges” facing Mexico, Sheinbaum pledged to bolster enforcement, stiffen penalties and increase safeguards for anyone receiving threats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2025
As soon as he was made comfortable enough to drift off, Robert would stiffen and jolt awake with a piercing scream.
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Once the pH returns to normal, the tissue stiffens again and locks into its new form.
From Science Daily ● May 28, 2026
The biggest reason is that our maximum heart rate slows with age, and the heart muscle stiffens, reducing its pumping effectiveness.
From Barron's ● May 23, 2026
Last year, Alibaba announced a plan to fold food-delivery and online-travel services into its e-commerce unit as competition stiffens in the Chinese market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
It's not just in majors that Scheffler's resolve stiffens on a Sunday.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025
My back stiffens, and defense rushes through me.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Others argued the particles stiffened the surrounding material like glue.
From Science Daily ● May 13, 2026
They reckon it may have stiffened the resolve of the German public and discouraged rebels within the dying Nazi regime.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 12, 2026
Johnson’s move appears to have stiffened investors’ spines.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
Marinello said that could change if countries stiffened the penalties for stealing cultural heritage by calling it cultural terrorism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025
His posture stiffened as my words appeared to sink in.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Softening rather than stiffening when moving through space requires embracing your body’s natural sway and tiny micro-movements, like an ankle wobbling or knee jiggling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
IPF is a chronic, progressive lung disease characterized by irreversible scarring and stiffening of lung tissue.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
The inquest was told rigor mortis - the stiffening of the body after death - had set in.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
It’s hard to imagine a greater accomplishment than to achieve peace while stiffening the sinews of deterrence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
There was a stiffening breeze kicking up the waves beyond the breakwaters and he smiled thinking of what his uncle Owen called waves.
From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen
Vocabulary lists containing stiffen
