0 to make something sharp or sharper -- 使變尖;使鋒利
My pencil is blunt - I'll have to sharpen it. 我的鉛筆鈍了——我得削一下。
figurative The company is cutting production costs in an attempt to sharpen its competitive edge (= in order to improve how competitive it is). 這家公司正降低生産成本,以增強競爭力。
1 to make something stronger -- 加強;加劇
Recent changes have sharpened competition between the airlines. 近來的種種變化加劇了航空公司之間的競爭。
The prison riots have sharpened the debate about how prisons should be run. 監獄暴動加劇了有關監獄該如何管理的爭論。
I hope this course will help me sharpen my computer skills. 我希望這門課程能幫助我磨練電腦技能。
I went to university to sharpen my mind. 我上大學是爲了讓自己的頭腦更加敏銳。
We'll need to sharpen our wits if we're going to defeat Jack's team. 要擊敗傑克那一隊,我們需要更加聰明一些。
2 to make something clearer -- 使清晰;使清楚
3 to make something play a higher musical note -- 使提高音調;使提高半音
I need to sharpen that knife.
She sharpened the blade.
Much of this research was critical, it sharpened and clarified the concepts and broke down the wide generalities of the earlier theories.
Depending on the weighting term, the tuning either sharpened or broadened, reproducing the range of behaviors we observed.
After the dura mater was excised, the pia mater was eliminated under the microscope control with a tungsten wire sharpened to 1-2 mm.