strengthens

verb

present tense third-person singular of strengthen
1
as in hardens
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 fortifies
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 intensifies
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 braces
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 stiffens
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 strengthens Temperatures will begin climbing Thursday again as the upper-level ridge strengthens and warmer air spreads into the northeast. — CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 Lula’s victory strengthens Brazil’s role as a counterweight to Washington, but both governments have reasons to cooperate on trade, security and Brazil’s vast critical-mineral reserves. — Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026 Identifying the same pattern in both a large, real-world dataset and a randomized clinical trial strengthens the findings, Howlett noted. — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Goblet Squat The goblet squat strengthens the entire lower body, especially the quadriceps. — Jenessa Connor, HEALTH, 26 Oct. 2026 This slow-light effect strengthens the interaction between light and the device, allowing a small electrical change to produce a larger change in the outgoing light signal. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026 Recognizing the difference between fantasy and reality is a form of practicing fear management – which strengthens resilience and resistance. — Liz Rosenberg, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026 Asked what fundamentally strengthens creativity, experts keep coming back to lived experience. — Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 The risk that alcohol consumption will recover slowly strengthens the case for diversification. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strengthens
  1. hardens
  2. fortifies
  3. intensifies
  4. braces
  5. stiffens
  6. adjusts
  7. enhances
  8. reinforces
Verb
  • The gossip hardens into something more official, as fellow teachers and school authorities start to treat her personal life as a disciplinary matter.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Europe hardens on migration as nationalist support grows European countries sought to harden migration rules in a bid to quell support for nationalist parties across the continent.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of hardens
Verb
  • The dispute unfolds as North Korea fortifies the already heavily armed frontier and both sides trade accusations, with diplomacy stalled and Seoul’s military vowing a firm response.
    — Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The shampoo nourishes the scalp with panthenol and niacinamide, while the conditioner fortifies strands with lipids for thicker-looking hair that resists breakage.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of fortifies
Verb
  • The dispute unfolds as Russia intensifies attacks across Ukraine and as Kyiv presses Western allies for more interceptors, while new diplomatic efforts seek to end the war.
    — Derek Gatopoulos, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • If the war with Iran intensifies again, foreign executives will be reluctant to even visit Saudi Arabia, let alone invest in it.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of intensifies
Verb
  • High tides inundated Southern California communities with water on Monday, flooding streets from Newport Beach to Long Beach, as the region braces for days of coastal flooding from near-record or record-high sea levels this week.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
  • French President Emmanuel Macron said protests not organized by trade unions would be banned, as the Élysée braces for further unrest ahead of demonstrations planned for Saturday.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of braces
Verb
  • Davidsen bucks up her balky husband with a bloodthirsty holler, stiffens her voice against doubt, and, in her final sleepwalking scene, taps into the tender stratum of Lady Macbeth’s subconscious.
    — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This remains soft during low-energy movement but stiffens upon high-impact force.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 27 July 2026
Definition of stiffens
Verb
  • The menus include a Light Brightness setting, which adjusts image brightness (and laser power) in 10 steps.
    — M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The Find + Follow Air Purifier senses areas of high air pollutants in the home – such as where residents are cooking, smoking or burning candles – and adjusts its position to clean this air.
    — Tracy Achonwa, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of adjusts
Verb
  • The aluminum model enhances the tactile experience with the cool sensation of metal rather than plastic.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026
  • This non-precious Ni/Co heterostructure electrode enhances performance and lowers costs in alkaline water electrolysis.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of enhances
Verb
  • His son Gal, 25, was killed fighting in Gaza in December 2023, a loss that reinforces his appeal to voters focused on security.
    — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
  • That growing threat reinforces our conviction in cybersecurity as a long-term AI winner.
    — Alexa LoMonaco,Matthew J. Belvedere,Jeff Marks, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of reinforces

Browse Nearby Words

strengthening
strengthens
strenuous
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Cite this Entry

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

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