WordGarden.iosharpener
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /ʃˈɑːpənə/
US
Meanings
Noun
a small tool used to sharpen pencils or similar points
Beyond the definition
A sharpener is usually a tool used to make something sharp again. Most often, people mean the small tool used for pencils, but the word can also refer to a tool for knives, blades, or other objects with an edge or point. It takes something dull and makes it ready to use again.
Think of it this way: when a pencil will not write neatly or a blade will not cut well, this tool helps bring back a clean point or edge. In everyday English, the word is mostly used for simple, practical objects.
The term "sharpener" most commonly refers to a tool or device used to make a point or edge sharp. The clearest example is a pencil sharpener, which shapes the wood and graphite into a neat point. The word is also used for tools that sharpen knives, scissors, skates, or other blades. Its main job is simple: it restores something dull so it can work properly again.
In daily life, this word is usually concrete and practical. You might keep one in a pencil case, on a desk, in a kitchen drawer, or in a workshop. For example: "She looked in her bag for a sharpener before class started." In that sentence, most people would naturally picture a pencil sharpener.
Sometimes the word appears as part of a longer name, such as "knife sharpener" or "blade sharpener," where the object being sharpened is named directly. Metaphorical use is possible, but it is much less common than the physical meaning. In most contexts, if someone says "sharpener," they mean a real tool that makes a pencil, blade, or similar object sharp again.
Examples
- 1
Polite request
Do you have a sharpener I can borrow?
- 2
School supplies
She keeps a small sharpener in her pencil case.
- 3
Knife tool
This knife sharpener works much better than the old one.
See also
Shades of meaning
Contrast
- dull edge
Used with (collocations)
- pencil sharpener
- knife sharpener
- electric sharpener
- manual sharpener
Word family
Explore
- abrasive
- edge maintenance
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- sharpenernoun
Forms
- sharpenerspluralnoun