harden

views updated Jun 27 2018

hard·en / ˈhärdn/ • v. make or become hard or harder: [intr.] wait for the glue to harden | [tr.] bricks that seem to have been hardened by firing. ∎  make or become more severe and less sympathetic: [tr.] she hardened her heart. ∎  make or become tougher and more clearly defined: [intr.] suspicion hardened into certainty. ∎  [intr.] (of prices of stocks, commodities, etc.) rise and remain steady at a higher level.PHRASES: hardening of the arteries another term for arteriosclerosis.PHRASAL VERBS: harden something off inure a plant to cold by gradually increasing its exposure to it.DERIVATIVES: hard·en·er n.

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