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.

These are, Mr. Freymann writes, “tempting targets,” but seizing them could stiffen the resolve of Taiwan and its Western friends.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 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

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

From Science Daily • Nov. 11, 2025

Redick looked as if he might stiffen under the postseason spotlight, the rookie coach uncharacteristically a man of few words and no smiles in his pregame news conference.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2025

I was expecting a stodgy, older gentleman who’d offer me canned encomiums about Hopkins and then stiffen and ask for the check when he found out the details of my standardized test scores.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore