stiffen

"He'd started to stiffen because he had been there for so long, dead, with no-one noticing. It's horrific to think someone's loved one died with no one near them."

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

This approach enabled us to create a material that can bend, buckle, or stiffen differently under slow movements versus sudden impacts -- without electronics, sensors, or active control.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

“It probably would stiffen their spine,” said Brian Latell, a former CIA analyst who wrote a biography of Castro and his older brother Fidel Castro.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

She has also vowed to stiffen prison sentences and to impose a state of emergency in areas worst hit by crime.

From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026

Lily’s face wrinkles for a moment and then I see her hands stiffen, and the stiffness travels all the way to her mouth.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

The biggest reason is that our maximum heart rate slows with age, and the heart muscle stiffens, reducing its pumping effectiveness.

From Barron's ● May 23, 2026

Metcalf, bringing all her blue-collar brilliance to the role, stiffens Linda’s spine.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

More than 13% of Americans 75 and older have the condition, in which the aortic valve stiffens and narrows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

Over time, inflammation can progress to fibrosis and scarring that stiffens the liver.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2026

Beside me, Helene’s body stiffens like water freezing into ice.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

The Romans, their ranks stiffened by Genoese and Venetian troops, did their best to resist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

When the heart must work harder because of exercise, heat, stress or another cause, stiffened blood vessels may be less able to accommodate the increased blood flow.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

They reckon it may have stiffened the resolve of the German public and discouraged rebels within the dying Nazi regime.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 12, 2026

Johnson’s move appears to have stiffened investors’ spines.

From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026

I just remember the way my dad’s body stiffened slightly when he reached the driver’s side door and saw what was there.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Softening rather than stiffening when moving through space requires embracing your body’s natural sway and tiny micro-movements, like an ankle wobbling or knee jiggling.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

It’s hard to imagine a greater accomplishment than to achieve peace while stiffening the sinews of deterrence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026

These findings further support the idea that chronic inflammation drives tissue stiffening.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2026

No wonder OpenAI’s Sam Altman issued a “code red” alert to employees urging them to step up the pace of chatbot development in the face of stiffening competition from the likes of Google’s Gemini.

From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025

For long hours each morning and evening, he lay on his small bed, swinging his arms and legs, arching his back, and stretching to keep his body from stiffening.

From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen