stiffen

Her roles in the 1950s diminished in plausibility, and Crawford’s acting stiffened into rigid self-presentation.

Dad stiffens and freezes in the hug—probably counting down the seconds until it’s over.

Then she held out her arms and stiffened her fingers, just like the claws in the picture.

After the Trojans defense stiffened, the offense went back on a roll, using another leaping grab by Lemon — this one for 35 yards — to set up a 12-yard TD pass between three defenders to Lemon.

In people with Alzheimer's, Aβ accumulates and causes arteries to stiffen, slowing the flow of fluids between brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid.