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sharpen

[shahr-puhn] / ˈʃɑr pən /




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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But when it came to AI, the biggest current threat was human bad actors using artificial intelligence to sharpen their hacks, rather than AI systems themselves going rogue, he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Some teenagers are already using artificial intelligence to tackle homework, revise for exams and sharpen coursework.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

It can be used to automate an assembly line, to compensate for a gap in the user’s skills, or to augment and sharpen individual creativity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Only months after the attacks, Spike Lee took on 9/11 with a boldness that only 15 years of provocative filmmaking — and a lifetime of loving New York — could sharpen into an artist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Her Grace freed you from your chains. It is for you to sharpen your swords and defend your own freedom when she leaves.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

“It’s the epitome of iron sharpens iron,” Adams said when asked about McDuffie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

Their crunch interrupts the softness of the turkey, cheese and sauces; their salt seasons the sandwich; and their pucker sharpens the lemon mayo and smoky-sweet romesco.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

That contrast sharpens Rotterdam's concern about losing energy intensive industry to regions with looser rules and cheaper power.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

The combination of a resilient economy with new sources of price pressure sharpens the debate facing the committee at its July 28-29 meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

He insists it sharpens the mind the way a whetstone sharpens a blade.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

The wound is thought to be the first evidence for use of sharpened wooden spears in the prehistoric Middle East, according to Pomeroy.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

As drills kicked off across Taiwan, reservists in Taipei sharpened their combat training at a high school, using U.S.-supplied rifles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Your appetite has been sharpened by sun, distance and swimming, and what you unwrap tastes less like something that survived the journey than something that has been quietly getting ready for you.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

"Competition in the global automotive market has sharpened noticeably," BMW finance boss Walter Mertl said, adding that the company would let an unspecified number of people go to bring costs down.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

I scrambled over the white split rail fence and carefully picked my way past the sharpened stakes of the interior fence.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

The tone over the Falkland Islands dispute has been sharpening in Argentina from well before President Javier Milei's late-night national address on sanctions earlier this week.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

She did this countless times across her decades of unwavering support for the queer community, softening and sharpening her humor according to the severity of whatever topic she waded into.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

The sharpening positions leave them without a clear framework for restarting talks, they said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Joseph Adinolfi broke down the factors leading to the sharpening of the Treasury-yield curve, how rising long-term rates affect investors and what may lie ahead.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Taking the hide flesher in his hands, Deydey sharpened the end well on his sharpening stone.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich


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