Examples of stiffen in a Sentence
She stiffened when he grabbed her shoulder.
The dogs stiffened in alarm.
The law would stiffen penalties for tax evasion.
Recent Examples on the Web
Since 2020, 12 state legislatures passed new laws stiffening requirements for in-person voter ID.
—
Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2024
This likely led to her sudden death from a heart attack or stroke; the authors suggest the woman was not discovered right away, so her muscles and joints stiffened—hence the unusual body position (bent legs) and the wide open mouth.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Aug. 2024
Opposition to Cuba was inflamed by the boatlift, and with the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980, U.S. sanctions were stiffened.
—Matt Schudel, Washington Post, 7 July 2024
Dictatorships harness technology not only to suppress protests but also to stiffen older methods of control.
—Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2020
See all Example Sentences for stiffen 
Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2024
This likely led to her sudden death from a heart attack or stroke; the authors suggest the woman was not discovered right away, so her muscles and joints stiffened—hence the unusual body position (bent legs) and the wide open mouth.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Aug. 2024
Opposition to Cuba was inflamed by the boatlift, and with the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980, U.S. sanctions were stiffened.
—Matt Schudel, Washington Post, 7 July 2024
Dictatorships harness technology not only to suppress protests but also to stiffen older methods of control.
—Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2020
See all Example Sentences for stiffen
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stiffen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Stiffen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stiffen. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
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