whet

/ˈwɛt/

verb 3noun 2

Collocations

ADJ.

great, nice, skilled

VERB + WHET

extract, let's, make, meant, need

WHET + NOUN

appetite, appetites, dinner, knife, performance, thy

Definitions

verb

To hone or rub on with some substance, as a piece of stone, for the purpose of sharpening – see whetstone.

Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?

And the Mower whets his ſithe,

To stimulate or make more keen.

to whet one's appetite or one's courage

Since Cassius first did whet me against Caesar, / I have not slept.

To preen.

noun

The act of whetting something.

That which whets or sharpens; especially, an appetizer.

sips, drams, and whets

To make a nice Whet before Dinner […]

Thesaurus

Synonyms

verb — make keen or more acute

quicken

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

Example Bank

Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?

Wiktionary

And the Mower whets his ſithe,

Wiktionary

Here roams the wolf, the eagle whets his beak.

Wiktionary

sips, drams, and whets

Wiktionary

To make a nice Whet before Dinner […]

Wiktionary

A really good game, to my mind, must have an element, however slight, of physical danger to the player. This is the great whet to skilled performance.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, whet is marked as obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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