Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

sharpen

 verb
     
sharp‧en
1 [intransitive and transitive] to make something have a sharper edge or point:
Anne sharpened her pencil and got out her homework.
2 [transitive] to make a feeling stronger and more urgent:
A series of attacks have sharpened fears of more violence.
3 [transitive] also sharpen something ↔ up to improve something so that it is up to the necessary standard, quality etc:
The course will help students sharpen their writing skills.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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