stiffen
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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This summer, Slegers has strengthened her hand with seven new players, including full-back Ona Batlle, Caldentey's compatriot, and England dynamo Georgia Stanway to stiffen midfield.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said that young people should stiffen their spines and embrace hardship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 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
This involves the buildup of dense, fibrous tissue around the tumor, made up of cells and proteins that stiffen and inflame the area.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 30, 2026
But I had fed the fire at least six or seven times when I saw Denna stiffen and come suddenly awake.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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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
That creates a curve or bend in the material, which also stiffens it.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
When the cell enters the next interphase and the asters reform, the cytoplasm stiffens again and stabilizes the band.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 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
Her spine stiffens and her heart is audible deep inside her ears.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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Others argued the particles stiffened the surrounding material like glue.
From Science Daily ● May 13, 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
Her roles in the 1950s diminished in plausibility, and Crawford’s acting stiffened into rigid self-presentation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Once removed from its pore, the hair immediately stiffened in rapid rigor mortis.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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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
Speaking to the BBC, he said with a "stiffening resolve" politicians could "take back control" of the levers of democracy.
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026
He found himself stiffening, as if for a final spring; he no longer felt limp like a helpless prey.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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