Adjacent Words

Strengthen definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STRENGTHEN, v.t.
1. To make strong or stronger; to add strength to, either physical, legal or moral; as, to strengthen a limb; to strengthen an obligation.
2. To confirm; to establish; as, to strengthen authority.
3. To animate; to encourage; to fix in resolution.
Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him. Deutoronomy 3.
4. To cause to increase in power or security.
Let noble warwick, Cobham and the rest, with powerful policy strengthen themselves.
STRENGTHEN, v.i. To grow strong or stronger.
The disease that shall destroy at length, grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength.
Grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: make strong or stronger; "This exercise will strengthen your upper body"; "strengthen the relations between the two countries" [syn: strengthen, beef up, fortify] [ant: weaken]
2: gain strength; "His body strengthened" [ant: weaken]
3: give a healthy elasticity to; "Let's tone our muscles" [syn: tone, tone up, strengthen]

Merriam Webster's

verb (strengthened; strengthening) Date: 15th century transitive verb to make stronger intransitive verb to become stronger • strengthener noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. & intr. make or become stronger. Phrases and idioms: strengthen a person's hand (or hands) encourage a person to vigorous action. Derivatives: strengthener n.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Strengthen Strength"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Strengthened; p. pr. & vb. n. Strengthening.] 1. To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; as, to strengthen a limb, a bridge, an army; to strengthen an obligation; to strengthen authority. Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest, . . . With powerful policy strengthen themselves. --Shak. 2. To animate; to encourage; to fix in resolution. Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him. --Deut. iii. 28. Syn: To invigorate; confirm; establish; fortify; animate; encourage.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Strengthen Strength"en, v. i. To grow strong or stronger. The young disease, that must subdue at length, Grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength. --Pope.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(strengthens, strengthening, strengthened) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If something strengthens a person or group or if they strengthen their position, they become more powerful and secure, or more likely to succeed. ...the new constitution, which strengthens the government and enables it to balance and check the powers of parliament and president... He hoped to strengthen the position of the sciences in the leading universities. VERB: V n, V n 2. If something strengthens a case or argument, it supports it by providing more reasons or evidence for it. He does not seem to be familiar with research which might have strengthened his own arguments. = reinforce VERB: V n 3. If a currency, economy, or industry strengthens, or if something strengthens it, it increases in value or becomes more successful. The dollar strengthened against most other currencies... If the Government wants to save the Pound it should start by strengthening the British economy. ? weaken VERB: V, V n 4. If a government strengthens laws or measures or if they strengthen, they are made more severe. I am also looking urgently at how we can strengthen the law... Community leaders want to strengthen controls at external frontiers... Because of the war, security procedures have strengthened. VERB: V n, V n, V 5. If something strengthens you or strengthens your resolve or character, it makes you more confident and determined. Any experience can teach and strengthen you, but particularly the more difficult ones... This merely strengthens our resolve to win the league... ? weaken VERB: V n, V n 6. If something strengthens a relationship or link, or if a relationship or link strengthens, it makes it closer and more likely to last for a long time. His visit is intended to strengthen ties between the two countries... In a strange way, his affair caused our relationship to strengthen. VERB: V n, V 7. If something strengthens an impression, feeling, or belief, or if it strengthens, it becomes greater or affects more people. His speech strengthens the impression he is the main power in the organization... Every day of sunshine strengthens the feelings of optimism... Amy's own Republican sympathies strengthened as the days passed. = deepen VERB: V n, V n, V 8. If something strengthens your body or a part of your body, it makes it healthier, often in such a way that you can move or carry heavier things. Cycling is good exercise. It strengthens all the muscles of the body... VERB: V n 9. If something strengthens an object or structure, it makes it able to be treated roughly or able to support heavy weights, without being damaged or destroyed. The builders will have to strengthen the existing joists with additional timber. = reinforce VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Make strong, make stronger, give strength to, add strength to. 2. Fortify. 3. Harden, brace, nerve, steel. 4. Intensify, make more intense. 5. Invigorate, impart health to. 6. Animate, encourage, fix in resolution. 7. Confirm, corroborate, establish, justify, sustain, support, fix. II. v. n. Grow strong.

Moby Thesaurus

accelerate, accrue, accumulate, add to, advance, affirm, aggravate, animate, anneal, appreciate, attest, augment, authenticate, back, back up, balloon, be tough, bear out, beef up, bloat, blow up, bolster, boom, boost, brace, brace up, breed, broaden, buttress, case harden, certify, cheer, chirk up, circumstantiate, complicate, concentrate, condense, confirm, consolidate, corroborate, crescendo, deepen, develop, document, double, embolden, encourage, endure, energize, enhance, exacerbate, exaggerate, fortify, gain, gain strength, gelt, get ahead, gird, go up, grow, hang tough, harden, hearten, heat up, heighten, hop up, hot up, increase, inspirit, intensify, invigorate, jazz up, key up, magnify, make complex, mount, multiply, nerve, nourish, nutrify, prepare, probate, proliferate, prop, prove, ramify, ratify, ready, recruit, redouble, refresh, reinforce, reinvigorate, rejuvenate, renew, restrengthen, rigidify, rise, run up, screw up, sharpen, shoot up, shore up, sinew, snowball, soup up, spread, steel, step up, stiffen, substantiate, supplement, support, sustain, swell, temper, tense, tighten, tone up, toughen, trice up, triple, undergird, uphold, validate, verify, vitalize, warrant, wax, whet, widen