Meaning

(transitive) To make stiff..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To make stiff.
2. (intransitive) To become stiff.

Example Sentences

As Willis spoke and tried to smile the voices inside him rang together like a bell, stiffening him and hollowing him and emptying him of his troubled song.

Criminal prosecutions of abusers are generally the responsibility of local authorities, but the act stiffened sentences for stalking under federal law.

It followed a sequence of functions: a machine cuts cloth panels to be sewn, the panels are drenched with the polymer and stiffened, a robotic arm uses suction cups to lift each panel and position it in a sewing machine. Finally, the robotic arm lifts the stitched T-shirt off the sewing machine. […] The system could work for most fabrics, with the exception of leather and waterproof materials that can't be drenched with the stiffening polymer. […] Zornow has patents pending in 10 countries for the process to stiffen fabric.

Bewildered by the unexpected greeting, my son stiffened, but managed a polite answer.

He does note that fascia, like most connective tissue in the body, stiffens with age, overuse and injury.

Word Forms

• stiffens
• stiffening
• stiffened

Synonyms for stiffen

Antonyms for stiffen

Related Words

When Should You Use Stiffen?

Use stiffen when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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