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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Sharpen \Sharp"en\, verb (used without an object) To grow or become sharp.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Sharpen \Sharp"en\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Sarpened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Sharpening}.] [See {Sharp}, adjective] To make sharp. Specifically: (a) To give a keen edge or fine point to; to make sharper; as, to sharpen an ax, or the teeth of a saw. (b) To render more quick or acute in perception; to make more ready or ingenious.
The air . . . sharpened his visual ray To objects distant far. --Milton.
He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. --Burke. (c) To make more eager; as, to sharpen men's desires.
Epicurean cooks Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite. --Shak. (d) To make more pungent and intense; as, to sharpen a pain or disease. (e) To make biting, sarcastic, or severe. ''Sharpen each word.'' --E. Smith. (f) To render more shrill or piercing.
Inclosures not only preserve sound, but increase and sharpen it. --Bacon. (g) To make more tart or acid; to make sour; as, the rays of the sun sharpen vinegar. (h) (Mus.) To raise, as a sound, by means of a sharp; to apply a sharp to.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
sharpen
verb
1: make sharp or sharper; "sharpen the knives" [ant: {dull}]
2: make sharp or sharper; "We had to sharpen our arguments"
3: become sharp or sharper; "The debate sharpened"
4: put (an image) into focus; "Please focus the image; we cannot enjoy the movie" [syn: {focus}, {focalize}, {focalise}] [ant: {blur}]
5: make (images or sounds) sharp or sharper [ant: {soften}]
6: raise the pitch of (musical notes) [ant: {flatten}]
7: give a point to; "The candles are tapered" [syn: {taper}, {point}]
8: make (one's senses) more acute; "This drug will sharpen your vision" [syn: {heighten}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
94 Moby Thesaurus words for "sharpen": accelerate, aculeate, acuminate, agent provocateur, aggravate, amplify, animate, annoy, augment, barb, beef up, blow up, build up, complicate, concentrate, condense, consolidate, cultivate, cuspidate, deepen, deteriorate, double, dress, edge, embitter, enhance, enlarge, enliven, exacerbate, exaggerate, exasperate, excite, exhilarate, file, fillip, galvanize, grind, heat up, heighten, hone, hop up, hot up, increase, infuse life into, instrument, intensify, invigorate, irritate, jazz up, key up, machine, magnify, make acute, make complex, make sensitive, make worse, mechanize, mill, motorize, oilstone, pick up, pique, point, provoke, quicken, ramify, redouble, refine, reinforce, renew, reset, resuscitate, retool, revive, sensibilize, sensitize, set, sharp, soup up, sour, spiculate, spur, step up, stimulate, stir, strap, strengthen, stroke, strop, taper, tool, triple, whet, worsen
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