strengthen

verb

ˈstreŋ(k)-thən How to pronounce strengthen (audio)
Definition of strengthennext
1
as in to harden
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force lifting weights every day will eventually strengthen your muscles the army makes new recruits run for miles in order to strengthen them

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2
as in to fortify
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure required weeks of physical therapy to strengthen his arm enough to pitch for the team again

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3
as in to enhance
to make markedly greater in measure or degree encouraged the boarding school students to strengthen their ties with the community by doing public service

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4
as in to brace
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally strengthened herself for the moment she'd have to tell her friend that she had lost the borrowed necklace

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5
as in to stiffen
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe a bill was introduced to strengthen punishments for hate crimes

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of strengthen Although nonbinding, policy recommendations from this collaboration would provide authoritative guidance on how to strengthen defense industrial security. — Sam Mullins, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2026 The annual meetings aim to avert a major regional conflict and strengthen defense cooperation. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026 In his speech at the forum, Putin called for strengthening Africa’s role in making decisions at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group to meet the continent’s needs. — Vladimir Isachenkov, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 OpenAI called on California legislators Tuesday to strengthen the measure during a hearing of the Assembly’s Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for strengthen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strengthen
  1. harden
  2. fortify
  3. enhance
  4. brace
  5. stiffen
  6. adjust
  7. intensify
  8. bolster
Verb
  • The building materials are fire-resistant, as are the windows, and the eaves are fire-hardened as well.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The process, called cured-in-place pipe lining, involves inserting a flexible liner into the old pipe, inflating it and hardening it in place.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of harden
Verb
  • Washington must help its partners raise their security standards, share intelligence and best practices more widely, and fortify monitoring programs.
    — Sam Mullins, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The Thunder also have a 21-pick stockpile of second-rounders that was fortified via the Dort, Wiggins and Joe trades.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of fortify
Verb
  • Throughout history, some were commissioned to enhance the interiors with their signature flair while others bartered their artwork for breaks on daily rates and others simply just thrived off the scene.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Each picture mode offers essentially the same rich set of options, except for AI-enhanced, which locks you out of some settings (including local contrast and color tuner), presumably because the AI logic is handling those.
    — M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of enhance
Verb
  • Downstream, residents of the vast Navajo Nation braced for floodwaters not expected to peak until late Friday or early Saturday.
    — MEAD GRUVER, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • France is bracing for yet another wave of protests this weekend with authorities racing to prevent a repeat of the kind of violence and riots that hit the nation last week.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of brace
Verb
  • Texas stiffened and took the 21-point lead to the locker room.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The Smart Go's polyurethane airbag uses a patented diaphragm technology and a layered internal structure to stiffen up when it's deployed.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of stiffen
Verb
  • By adjusting the distance between the tips, the team could stretch or compress the molecular structure, changing the voltage at which the current enhancement began.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Hackett said adjusting investments to reflect personal financial goals, changes in risk tolerance, or shifting income needs are good reasons to make changes.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of adjust
Verb
  • If winter temperatures turn unusually cold, supply pressures could intensify further.
    — , CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Screening has intensified at Entebbe International Airport and land borders.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of intensify
Verb
  • And some legal experts say rather than bolster the government’s argument in court, the comparatively small number of charges and arrests may weaken it.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The decision to launch the movie in moderate release — rather than limited in just a handful of venues or nationwide on more than 2,000 screens — proved wise because the studio was able to bolster awareness while cultivating a sense of scarcity.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of bolster

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strength
strengthen
strengthened
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Cite this Entry

“Strengthen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strengthen. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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