smarten

[ smahr-tn ]
See synonyms for smarten on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to make more trim or spruce; improve in appearance (usually followed by up): Try to smarten up your outfit.

  2. to make brisker, as a pace.

  1. to sharpen the judgment or broaden the experience of; educate (usually followed by up): Someone has to smarten him up about dealing with people.

Verb Phrases
  1. smarten up,

    • to groom oneself: to smarten up before dinner.

    • to become aware of one's mistakes, shortcomings, etc., and make efforts to correct them: If you don't smarten up, you're going to be out of a job.

Origin of smarten

1
First recorded in 1805–15; smart + -en1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use smarten in a sentence

  • At the same time we had a good opportunity of smartening up the ship, which she needed badly.

  • She had been busy in her bedroom all day, smartening-up a dress.

    Johnny Ludlow, Sixth Series | Mrs. Henry Wood
  • He made some elephantine attempts at smartening his appearance.

    The Trimmed Lamp | O. Henry
  • He talked to Hamish in a perfunctory manner about the smartening up of the Umpire.

    Macleod of Dare | William Black
  • The melancholy outside, tumble-down looking houses were smartening up.

    Old Kensington | Miss Thackeray

British Dictionary definitions for smarten

smarten

/ (ˈsmɑːtən) /


verb(usually foll by up)
  1. (intr) to make oneself neater

  2. (tr) to make quicker or livelier

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012