stiff·en
Audio Help [stif-uh
n] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [stif-uh
n] Pronunciation Key –verb (used with object)
–verb (used without object)
| 1. | to make stiff. |
| 2. | to become stiff. |
| 3. | to become suddenly tense, rigid, or taut, as in bracing oneself for or drawing back from shock, fear, or displeasure: He stiffened, expecting to hear the worst. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
stiffen
To learn more about stiffen visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| stiff·en
Audio Help (stĭf'ən) Pronunciation Key
tr. & intr.v. stiff·ened, stiff·en·ing, stiff·ens To make or become stiff or stiffer. stiff'en·er n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| stiffen | |
verb | |
| 1. | become stiff or stiffer; "He stiffened when he saw his boss enter the room" [ant: loose] |
| 2. | make stiff or stiffer; "Stiffen the cream by adding gelatine" [ant: loose] |
| 3. | restrict; "Tighten the rules"; "stiffen the regulations" |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
ˈstiffen verb
to make or become stiff(er)
Example: You can stiffen cotton with starch; He stiffened when he heard the unexpected sound.
See also: bore, scare stiff, stiffening, stiffExample: You can stiffen cotton with starch; He stiffened when he heard the unexpected sound.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Stiffen
Stiff"en\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stiffened; p. pr. & vb. n. Stiffening.] [See Stiff.]1. To make stiff; to make less pliant or flexible; as, to stiffen cloth with starch. Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood. --Shak. 2. To inspissate; to make more thick or viscous; as, to stiffen paste. 3. To make torpid; to benumb.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Stiffen
Stiff"en\, v. i. To become stiff or stiffer, in any sense of the adjective. Like bristles rose my stiffening hair. --Dryden. The tender soil then stiffening by degrees. --Dryden. Some souls we see, Grow hard and stiffen with adversity. --Dryden.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
stiffen
stiffen: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary
| On-line Medical Dictionary, © 1997-98 Academic Medical Publishing & CancerWEB |
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