strengthening 1 of 3

adjective

as in reviving

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strengthening

2 of 3

noun

as in increase

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strengthening

3 of 3

verb

present participle of strengthen
1
as in hardening
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force lifting weights every day will eventually strengthen your muscles the army makes new recruits run for miles in order to strengthen them

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2
as in fortifying
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure required weeks of physical therapy to strengthen his arm enough to pitch for the team again

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3
as in deepening
to make markedly greater in measure or degree encouraged the boarding school students to strengthen their ties with the community by doing public service

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4
as in bracing
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally strengthened herself for the moment she'd have to tell her friend that she had lost the borrowed necklace

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5
as in stiffening
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe a bill was introduced to strengthen punishments for hate crimes

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of strengthening
Noun
Some strengthening is expected during the next day or so, and the system is forecast to become a tropical storm by tonight. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 Analysts point out that the drop in the unemployment rate stems from a large number of American workers leaving the labor force, rather than any strengthening in the job market. — CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 Not all models anticipate El Niños strengthening as the climate warms, but our data shows that unusual strengthening has accompanied recent warming – an association that may allow scientists to identify models that most closely track observations. — Julia Cole, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026 That’s in addition to the earlier dismantling of USAID (which trained social mobilizers for surveillance and active case finding) and the withdrawal from the WHO (whose technical expertise informed laboratory strengthening and data systems). — Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026 Instead, Washington will help manage the program and support the strengthening of Liberia’s own immigration system. — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026 These actions should be paired with measures that expand protections for the United States’ biotech innovation infrastructure, including the strengthening of a national security review process governing foreign investment in the sector. — Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 In response, the OLCI offered a proposal that combines legal reforms and institutional strengthening as well as operational actions. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026 As of Wednesday morning, the chances of strengthening were up to 80% in the next two to seven days. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2026
Verb
The bill’s proponents have maintained that the law will crack down on voter fraud and is a step toward strengthening voter integrity laws. — Liv Caputo Herald, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026 Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin dismissed any travel concerns, saying that authorities are constantly strengthening flight safety. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 Poppe said the company has spent the past six years strengthening its operations, including reducing wildfire risk, improving reliability and lowering customer rates. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026 Although Edouard is not forecast to become a hurricane, the hurricane center has warned coastal residents to closely monitor the forecast as the storm is in an area of warmer than normal water and low wind shear, which favor strengthening. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Farther west, Hurricane Lowell, strengthening Tropical Storm Marie and powerful Hurricane Karina churn over the Pacific, while Dolly’s remnants deliver heavy rain to Haiti, the Dominican Republic and nearby islands. — Jamie Stengle, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 Small strategic changes—from strengthening the opening hook to featuring more authentic voices or making the next step clearer—can have a meaningful impact on whether viewers actually take action. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Lin said the exploration work aims to help mining enterprises increase reserves and production, strengthening the region’s ability to supply its own mineral needs. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026 The report said the company was strengthening its research infrastructure, increasing monitoring and improving safeguards designed to prevent harmful or unintended behavior. — Reuters, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strengthening
  1. conditioning
  2. increase
  3. hardening
  4. fortifying
  5. deepening
  6. bracing
  7. stiffening
  8. stimulating
Adjective
  • Cayenne owners will be able to track charging via their My Porsche app and are able to create pre-conditioning settings to meet their individual needs.
    — Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Dyson also claims that the Omega nourishing collection delivers up to 94 percent stronger hair, compared to using non-conditioning shampoo on straight hair.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Definition of conditioning
Noun
  • Driving the increase in murder charges in fatal crashes are a few factors, Cherney and McClain agree.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Over the past three months, international futures markets saw cocoa rise by more than 60% cumulatively, coffee gain over 30%, and raw sugar futures increase by nearly 30%.
    — , CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of increase
Verb
  • Hope for finding survivors is fading as rescuers race against time and quickly hardening mud.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
  • OpenAI halted some of its AI model training and is hardening its testing, monitoring and training protocols following the incident.
    — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of hardening
Verb
  • Residents were busy fortifying their properties ahead of the peak of the weather event, as city officials positioned crews early to begin working on lining the shore with berms.
    — Lesley Marin, CBS News, 30 July 2026
  • Paramount now must strengthen its case for a high-stakes trial while fortifying Paramount’s existing businesses and managing uncertainty among the employee base.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of fortifying
Verb
  • Brent crude climbed back above $90 a barrel and gasoline stayed over $4 a gallon all month, deepening inflation pressures and sharpening expectations the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again.
    — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Salesforce ‘s deepening push into artificial intelligence is showing signs of paying off, and that should continue to benefit its stock, according to Goldman Sachs.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of deepening
Verb
  • September is a traditionally bad month for the major stock market averages, and analysts are bracing for additional volatility ahead of the midterm elections in just nine weeks.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Officials say Texas is bracing for its first big storm of the season, focusing on flooding risks while crews clear dry vegetation to reduce wildfire dangers from lightning.
    — Jamie Stengle, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of bracing
Verb
  • Offering a 35% incentive aimed at stiffening up jobs here and enticing post-production to relocate to the Golden State, AB 2319 is racing toward a vote in the state Senate by next week once the bill is in final shape.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Softening rather than stiffening when moving through space requires embracing your body’s natural sway and tiny micro-movements, like an ankle wobbling or knee jiggling.
    — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of stiffening
Adjective
  • This is the time to do the intellectually stimulating things.
    — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
  • That’s really the most stimulating, but not necessarily on camera.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of stimulating

Browse Nearby Words

strengthened
strengthening
strengthens
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Cite this Entry

“Strengthening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strengthening. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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