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.

“It probably would stiffen their spine,” said Brian Latell, a former CIA analyst who wrote a biography of Castro and his older brother Fidel Castro.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 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

This leads the muscles to weaken and stiffen over time and ultimately impacts how you walk, talk, eat and breathe.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025

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

My mother could see that I really wasn’t in one piece after all, so she listened quietly, stroking my hair as I talked, but gradually I could feel her stiffen.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz