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Great literature should do some good to the reader: must quicken his perception though dull, and sharpen his discrimination though blunt, and mellow the rawness of his personal opinions.
A. E. Housman

Meaning of "sharpen" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF SHARPEN

sharpen  [ˈʃɑːpən] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SHARPEN

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Sharpen is a verb.
The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb sharpen in English.

WHAT DOES SHARPEN MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Sharpen

Sharpen is an Eclipse plug-in useful for multiplatform code development, having the ability to convert from one language to another. Sharpen can convert Java to C# and vice versa. It can be used also to develop Java code with the most recent JDK, as Sharpen can convert between the Java dialects. If the converted code does not run properly, the user has to remove parts that does not compile, but a better way is to modify methods that do not compile to do their calls by reflection. This would avoid hard links to functionality that does not exist. It is desirable that Sharpen creates a Java source code version of the backport, to allow debugging on the respective platforms.

Definition of sharpen in the English dictionary

The definition of sharpen in the dictionary is to make or become sharp or sharper. Other definition of sharpen is to raise the pitch of, esp by one chromatic semitone Usual US and Canadian word: sharp.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO SHARPEN

PRESENT

Present
I sharpen
you sharpen
he/she/it sharpens
we sharpen
you sharpen
they sharpen
Present continuous
I am sharpening
you are sharpening
he/she/it is sharpening
we are sharpening
you are sharpening
they are sharpening
Present perfect
I have sharpened
you have sharpened
he/she/it has sharpened
we have sharpened
you have sharpened
they have sharpened
Present perfect continuous
I have been sharpening
you have been sharpening
he/she/it has been sharpening
we have been sharpening
you have been sharpening
they have been sharpening
Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past
I sharpened
you sharpened
he/she/it sharpened
we sharpened
you sharpened
they sharpened
Past continuous
I was sharpening
you were sharpening
he/she/it was sharpening
we were sharpening
you were sharpening
they were sharpening
Past perfect
I had sharpened
you had sharpened
he/she/it had sharpened
we had sharpened
you had sharpened
they had sharpened
Past perfect continuous
I had been sharpening
you had been sharpening
he/she/it had been sharpening
we had been sharpening
you had been sharpening
they had been sharpening
Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future
I will sharpen
you will sharpen
he/she/it will sharpen
we will sharpen
you will sharpen
they will sharpen
Future continuous
I will be sharpening
you will be sharpening
he/she/it will be sharpening
we will be sharpening
you will be sharpening
they will be sharpening
Future perfect
I will have sharpened
you will have sharpened
he/she/it will have sharpened
we will have sharpened
you will have sharpened
they will have sharpened
Future perfect continuous
I will have been sharpening
you will have been sharpening
he/she/it will have been sharpening
we will have been sharpening
you will have been sharpening
they will have been sharpening
The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional
I would sharpen
you would sharpen
he/she/it would sharpen
we would sharpen
you would sharpen
they would sharpen
Conditional continuous
I would be sharpening
you would be sharpening
he/she/it would be sharpening
we would be sharpening
you would be sharpening
they would be sharpening
Conditional perfect
I would have sharpen
you would have sharpen
he/she/it would have sharpen
we would have sharpen
you would have sharpen
they would have sharpen
Conditional perfect continuous
I would have been sharpening
you would have been sharpening
he/she/it would have been sharpening
we would have been sharpening
you would have been sharpening
they would have been sharpening
Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative
you sharpen
we let´s sharpen
you sharpen
The imperative is used to form commands or requests.
NONFINITE VERB FORMS
Infinitive
to sharpen
Past participle
sharpened
Present Participle
sharpening
Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH SHARPEN


arpen
ˈɑːpən
aspen
ˈæspən
cheapen
ˈtʃiːpən
dampen
ˈdæmpən
deepen
ˈdiːpən
happen
ˈhæpən
lippen
ˈlɪpən
open
ˈəʊpən
parpen
ˈpɑːpən
reopen
riːˈəʊpən
resharpen
riːˈʃɑːpən
Ripon
ˈrɪpən
saucepan
ˈsɔːspən
steepen
ˈstiːpən
tampan
ˈtæmpən
tarpon
ˈtɑːpən
weapon
ˈwɛpən
yapon
ˈjɔːpən
yaupon
ˈjɔːpən
zupan
ˈzjuːpən

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SHARPEN

sharp-set
sharp-sighted
sharp-sightedly
sharp-sightedness
sharp-tempered
sharp-tongued
sharp-witted
sharp-wittedly
sharp-wittedness
sharpbender
sharpener
sharpening
sharper
Sharpeville
sharpie
sharpish
sharply
sharpness
sharpshooter
sharpshooting

WORDS THAT END LIKE SHARPEN

Antwerpen
ball pen
ballpoint pen
bring into the open
bullpen
come into the open
drawing pen
fountain pen
hempen
keep an eye open
light pen
pen
playpen
quill pen
ripen
tapen
the open
the pen
wide open
wide-open

Synonyms and antonyms of sharpen in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «SHARPEN»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «sharpen» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of sharpen

Translation of «sharpen» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF SHARPEN

Find out the translation of sharpen to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of sharpen from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «sharpen» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

使敏锐
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

agudizar
570 millions of speakers

English

sharpen
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

पैनापन
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

شحذ
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

заострить
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

aguçar
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

ধার করা
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

s´aiguiser
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Mengasah
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

sich schärfen
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

鋭くする/鋭くなる
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

예민하게 하다
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Ngasah
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

làm sắc nét
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

கூர்மைப்படுத்துங்கள்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

तीक्ष्ण करा
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

keskinleştirmek
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

acuire
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

wyostrzyć
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

загострити
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

ascuți
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

ακονίστε
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

skerp
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

skärpa
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

skjerpe
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of sharpen

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SHARPEN»

The term «sharpen» is quite widely used and occupies the 23.328 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
89
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «sharpen» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of sharpen
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «sharpen».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «SHARPEN» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «sharpen» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «sharpen» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about sharpen

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «SHARPEN»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word sharpen.
1
Roger Ascham
Let the master praise him, and say, 'Here ye do well.' For, I assure you, there is no such whetstone to sharpen a good wit, and encourage a will to learning, as is praise.
2
Roger Ascham
There is no such whetstone, to sharpen a good wit and encourage a will to learning, as is praise.
3
Ed Bradley
You can work hard to sharpen your talent, to get better at whatever it is that you do, and I think that's what it comes back to.
4
Stephen Cole
Nerves can be useful, as they sharpen you up, make you determined to try your hardest and do your best.
5
Edsger Dijkstra
About the use of language: it is impossible to sharpen a pencil with a blunt axe. It is equally vain to try to do it with ten blunt axes instead.
6
John Grogan
I collect old rusty hand tools and sharpen and polish them, then use them to build things out of walnut and cherry that I harvest from fallen trees in the woods.
7
Bear Grylls
I am not fearless. I get scared plenty. But I have also learned how to channel that emotion to sharpen me.
8
Ethan Hawke
The theater, for me, has always been a place where I'm free to be more creative, a place to sharpen my tools.
9
A. E. Housman
Great literature should do some good to the reader: must quicken his perception though dull, and sharpen his discrimination though blunt, and mellow the rawness of his personal opinions.
10
David Lynch
Intuition is the key to everything, in painting, filmmaking, business - everything. I think you could have an intellectual ability, but if you can sharpen your intuition, which they say is emotion and intellect joining together, then a knowingness occurs.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SHARPEN»

Discover the use of sharpen in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to sharpen and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills
Have you ever struggled to complete a design project on time? Or felt that having a tight deadline stifled your capacity for maximum creativity? If so, then this book is for you.
David Sherwin, 2010
2
How to Sharpen Pencils: A Practical & Theoretical Treatise ...
Learn from my mistakes." —NEIL GAIMAN Have you got the right kind of point on your pencil? Do you know how to achieve the perfect point for the kind of work you need out of that pencil?
David Rees, 2012
3
The Book of IQ Tests: 25 Self-Scoring Quizzes to Sharpen ...
Readers test their intelligence--and that of their friends--with a self-scoring collection of twenty-five challenging IQ quizzes that include diagrams, numerical challenges, wordplay, and other entertaining elements.
Philip J. Carter, Kenneth A. Russell, 2008
4
How to Sharpen Carving Tools
An easy-to-understand, safe and effective system of sharpening tools to help carvers put a perfect edge on their knives, gouges, chisels and veiners, is provided in this book.
Richard Bütz, Ellen Butz, 1997
5
Brainpower Game Plan: Sharpen Your Memory, Improve Your ...
Offers a combination of brain-boosting foods, heart-pumping physical activity, and fun-but-functional brain-training techniques that promise to improve memory, focus, reasoning skills, and other aspects of cognitive function, in a book with ...
Cynthia R. Green, Cynthia R. Green, PhD, Editors of Prevention, 2009
6
Sharpen Your Debate and Speech Writing Skills
"Find out how to prepare for a speech or debate: prewriting, writing, revising, editing, proofreading, and presenting"--Provided by publisher.
Jennifer Rozines Roy, Johannah Haney, 2011
7
How To Sharpen A Knife & Care For Your Collection: Enjoy ...
Don’t miss this first-ever knife maintenance, sharpening and care eBook from BLADE Magazine and BladeMag.com.
James Morgan Ayres, Dexter Ewing, 2012
8
Sharpen Your Essay Writing Skills
A guide to becoming a better writer.
Jennifer Rozines Roy, Johannah Haney, 2011
9
Popular Science
By George Daniels DID you ever sharpen a shovel— and see how it eases any kind of spading job? Try it some time. And are you getting only half value from your pruning shears, mowers, hedge clippers, and other outdoor tools because they ...
10
Manage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, ...
Manage Your Day-to-Day will give you a toolkit for tackling the challenges of a 24/7, always-on workplace.We’ll show you how to build a rock-solid daily routine, field a constant barrage of messages, find focus amid chaos, and carve out ...
Jocelyn K. Glei, 2013

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SHARPEN»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term sharpen is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Marketers: sharpen your skills and benchmark your progress
"2015 will be another challenging year in pharmaceutical marketing. The need for us to demonstrate true value will remain an essential part of our role, as will ... «PharmaTimes, Jul 15»
2
Clarendon parents sharpen parenting skills
CLARENDON, Jamaica – The Child Development Agency (CDA), in partnership with First Heritage Credit Union, recently held a workshop in one of the ... «Jamaica Observer, Jul 15»
3
MacPherson: Sharpening your lawn mower blade a dull task
People are always asking me, "Roscoe, how do I properly sharpen the blade in my lawn mower?" I always tell them the same thing: My name isn't Roscoe. «Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Jun 15»
4
Sparx Skate Sharpener aims to bring professional skate sharpening
Ask anyone who's sharpened skates professionally, and they will tell you that it's an art form. I worked in a hockey store for most of my teenage years, and even ... «Gizmag, Mar 15»
5
New pro-trade board will sharpen Dems' divide on the issue
The effort will sharpen differences between the Democratic Party's liberal and pro-business wings, especially in New England. And it could accelerate the effort ... «The Columbian, Mar 15»
6
Brett and Josh Morris to sharpen Bulldogs' attack this NRL season
CANTERBURY are banking on good old sibling rivalry to sharpen their spluttering attack this NRL season. Despite their charge to last year's grand final, the ... «The Daily Telegraph, Feb 15»
7
DOGBERRY: 'In true RB spirit of outperformance, we need to …
WHAT HE MEANT: Presumably by 'sharpen our organisational agility' he means 'get better'. A 'spirit of outperformance' also sounds, frankly, a bit occult. «This is Money, Feb 15»
8
Sharpen Your Influence, Strengthen Your Leadership
Influence: Noun -- The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. That is how the ... «Huffington Post, Dec 14»
9
How To Sharpen Any Knife
Why do you need to sharpen knives? A sharp knife stands less chance of slipping on the material being cut and, because it requires less effort and force to use ... «Gizmodo Australia, Oct 14»
10
Hero officer stops wrong way driver near Conroe
... as reckless and as dangerous as he was, he needed to be stopped one way or another," said Sgt. Gary Sharpen with the Shenandoah Police Department. «KTRK-TV, Sep 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Sharpen [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/sharpen>. Apr 2024 ».
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