stiffen

“People get scared of the sway, the wobble. If you’ve had a fall before, you get a fear of falling again and you stiffen up, you become protective,” Swanson says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that the loss of the servicemembers would stiffen the U.S.’s resolve.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

"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

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

Then Nathan was saying something to Lily as he started the car; it was making her stiffen.

From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English

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

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

From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2026

Last year, Alibaba announced a plan to fold food-delivery and online-travel services into its e-commerce unit as competition stiffens in the Chinese market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026

She stiffens, and her gulp is so loud it almost echoes.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Others argued the particles stiffened the surrounding material like glue.

From Science Daily ● May 13, 2026

And sure enough, as UConn’s shots started falling and its defense stiffened against Boozer’s attacks, the deficit narrowed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 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

The barrels -- bound tightly with rope, their fabric skins stiffened and darkened with lacquer -- inevitably recall the Gulf's vast hydrocarbon wealth.

From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026

Ekon said nothing in answer, but Koffi snuck a glance at him and thought she saw his muscles relax, saw the slightest shift in his stiffened posture.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

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

IPF is a chronic, progressive lung disease characterized by irreversible scarring and stiffening of lung tissue.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 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

Because microtubules can influence how stiff the cytoplasm is, the researchers asked whether asters might help anchor the actin band by stiffening the cell interior.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2026

Lupita repeated, sensing Salvador stiffening next to her.

From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty