strengthen

present singular third person strengthens · participle present strengthening · participle past strengthened · past strengthened

1. transitiveTo make strong or stronger; to add strength to; to increase the strength of; to fortify.

   strengthen a wall

   5 more examples

   strengthen a muscle

   strengthen one's willpower

   strengthen one's authority

   Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest,[…] With powerful policy strengthen themselves.

   c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)

   A little hardship, and a little struggling with the rougher elements of life, will perchance but strengthen and increase his courage, and prepare him for the conflicts and struggles of after years.

   1851, anonymous author, Arthur Hamilton, and His Dog

2. transitiveTo empower; to give moral strength to; to encourage; to enhearten.

   Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy iii:28

   3 more examples

   my father and mother strengthened me in this my first impression, saying in my presence, I was intended for some great purpose

   1831, Nat Turner, The Confessions of Nat Turner

   "A fine man, that Dunwody, yonder," commented the young captain, as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner. "We'll see him on in Washington some day. He is strengthening his forces now against Mr. Benton out there.[…]."

   1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

   A review of addiction research, published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, suggests mindful meditation strengthens self-control in smokers, even among those smokers who haven’t set an intention to quit.

   2015 July 31, Liza Lucas, “How to beat smoking, other bad habits with better self-control”, in CNN

3. transitiveTo augment; to improve; to intensify.
4. transitiveTo reinforce, to add to, to support (someone or something)

   strengthen an army

   3 more examples

   Each half-section of the battery weighs about eight tons, and the two underframes had to be strengthened to take this weight.

   1958 June 28, “First Battery Railcars on B.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 419

   In 2019, Trump signed the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at strengthening HBCUs as well as other minority-serving institutions by providing $255 million annually.

   2024 July 1, Chandelis Duster, “Biden and Trump touted what they’ve done for HBCUs at CNN’s debate. Here’s what their records show”, in CNN

   A priority for the new pope will be to strengthen the church’s unity amid differing views and expectations within the institution and growing polarisation in the wider world.

   2025 May 8, Angela Giuffrida and Harriet Sherwood, “White smoke from Sistine Chapel chimney signals election of new pope”, in The Guardian

5. transitiveTo substantiate; to corroborate (a belief, argument, etc.)

   strengthen the cause

6. intransitiveTo grow strong or stronger.

   my affection seems so superfluous that I often wonder why it should be so strong. But wise or foolish, there it is, strengthening with the years whether I will or no

   1914, Elizabeth Robins Pennell, Our Philadelphia