strengthen
VerbUS[streng-thuhn]/ˈstrɛŋθən/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Verb (3)strengthens, strengthened, strengthening
- make strong or stronger“This exercise will strengthen your upper body”“strengthen the relations between the two countries”Synonyms: beef upfortifyMore general change, alterMore specific reinforce, brace, confirm, undergird, buttress, substantiate, restrengthen, vitalize, batten, ruggedize
- gain strength“His body strengthened”Opposite weakenMore general changeMore specific consolidate, proof, back, toughen, sandbag
- give a healthy elasticity to“Let's tone our muscles”Synonyms: tonetone upMore general exercise, work out
Word of the day · Oct 11About this word
expediteverb
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Verb to make strong or stronger
- Spanish
- fortalecer
- French
- renforcer
- German
- stärken
- Italian
- rafforzare
- Portuguese
- fortalecer
- Russian
- уси́ливать usílivatʹ
- Arabic
- قَوَّى qawwā
- Chinese
- 加强 jiāqiáng
- Japanese
- 強める tsuyomeru
- Dutch
- versterken
18 more languages
- Polish
- wzmacniać
- Swedish
- stärka
- Greek
- ενισχύω enischýo
- Korean
- 강화하다 ganghwahada
- Hungarian
- megerősít
- Portuguese (PT)
- fortalecer
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 加強 jiāqiáng
- Albanian
- fuqizoj
- Catalan
- enfortir
- Czech
- posílit
- Esperanto
- fortigi
- Estonian
- tugevdama
- Finnish
- vahvistaa
- Hebrew
- חִזֵּק khizék
- Latvian
- stiprināt
- Romanian
- întări
- Serbo-Croatian
- ojačati
- Welsh
- cryfhau
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Strength′en transitive verb [past tense & past participle Strengthened; present participle & verbal noun 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.— William Shakespeare
2. To animate; to encourage; to fix in resolution.
Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him.— Deut. iii. 28.
Synonyms: To invigorate; confirm; establish; fortify; animate; encourage.
Strength′en intransitive verb
To grow strong or stronger.
The young disease, that must subdue at length, Grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength.— Alexander Pope
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54