1. sharpen - Adjective
2. sharpen - Verb
To make sharp.
To give a keen edge or fine point to; to make sharper; as, to sharpen an ax, or the teeth of a saw.
To render more quick or acute in perception; to make more ready or ingenious.
To make more eager; as, to sharpen men's desires.
To make more pungent and intense; as, to sharpen a pain or disease.
To make biting, sarcastic, or severe.
To render more shrill or piercing.
To make more tart or acid; to make sour; as, the rays of the sun sharpen vinegar.
To raise, as a sound, by means of a sharp; to apply a sharp to.
To grow or become sharp.
Source: Webster's dictionaryThe expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools. Confucius
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. Edsger W. Dijkstra
The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue. Oscar Levant
When a blade has dulled, sharpen another. Corsican Proverb
Even the devil himself does not know where women sharpen their knives. Latvian Proverb
One does not sharpen the axes after the right time; after the time they are needed. Russian Proverb