Word.ws English Dictionary

sharp

UK/ʃɑːp//ʃɑɹp/

sharp adjective: terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut or pierce easily; not dull, obtuse, or rounded. Also the alternative form of sharpie.

Adjective

sharp (comparative sharper, superlative sharpest)

  1. Terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut or pierce easily; not dull, obtuse, or rounded.
    • I keep my knives sharp so that they don't slip unexpectedly while carving.
    • Ernest made the pencil too sharp and accidentally stabbed himself with it.
  2. (colloquial) Intelligent.
    • My nephew is a sharp lad; he can count to 100 in six languages, and he's only five years old.
    • At school, despite his sharp mind, Malcolm was laughed at by teachers when he said he wanted to be a lawyer.2015 February 20, Jesse Jackson, “In the Ferguson era, Malcolm X’s courage in fighting racism inspires more than ever”, in The Guardian (London)
  3. Raised by one semitone (denoted by the symbol ⟨♯⟩ after the name of the note).
  4. Higher in pitch than required.
    • The orchestra's third violin several times was sharp about an eighth of a tone.
  5. Having a strong acrid or acidic taste.
    • Milly couldn't stand sharp cheeses when she was pregnant, because they made her nauseated.
    • This grapefruit is especially sharp.
    Synonyms:
    acrid, pungent
  6. Sudden, abrupt, intense, rapid.
    • A pregnant woman during labor normally experiences a number of sharp contractions.
    • The man turned and made a sharp movement towards the door.
    Synonyms:
    abrupt, acute, stabbing
  7. (colloquial) Illegal or dishonest.
    • Michael had a number of sharp ventures that he kept off the books.
  8. (colloquial) Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interests; shrewd, verging on dishonest.
    • a sharp dealer, a sharp customer, sharp practice
    • But, as they have hitherto stood, a clergyman established in a competent living is not under the necessity of being so sharp, vigilant, and exacting.1732, Jonathan Swift, Considerations Upon Two Bills
  9. Exact, precise, accurate; keen.
    • You'll need sharp aim to make that shot.
    • Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus.[…]A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that. Developed as a tool to electronically combine the sharpest bits of multiple digital images, focus stacking is a boon to biologists...2013 July-August, Catherine Clabby, “Focus on Everything”, in American Scientist
    Synonyms:
    accurate, exact, keen, precise
  10. Offensive, critical, or acrimonious; stern or harsh.
    • sharp criticism
    • When the two rivals met, first there were sharp words, and then a fight broke out.
  11. (colloquial) Stylish, smart or attractive.
    • You look so sharp in that tuxedo!
    • A sharp dresser partial to snakeskin shoes whose miniature Australian shepherd dog Saatchi is a constant fixture on family outings, [Donald] Tang's next move was to reinvent himself as a dealmaker connecting China with Hollywood amid growing demand for entertainment content in both countries.2024 July 13, Laura Onita, Eleanor Olcott, “Shein’s master of reinvention treads tricky path to IPO”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 11
    Synonyms:
    chic, elegant, smart, stylish
  12. Observant; alert; acute.
    • Keep a sharp watch on the prisoners. I don't want them to escape!
Show 12 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. Quick and alert.
    • Jones, the centre forward, made a sharp start to the game.
  2. Strongly distinguishing or differentiating; acute.
    • a sharp contrast, a sharp distinction
    • Paradoxically, the sharp and unambiguous formulas in which Lenin called for the use of terror and denied the possibility of democracy and freedom testified to the fact that freedom had not yet been completely eradicated.1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in...
  3. Forming a small or tight angle; especially, forming an angle of less than ninety degrees.
    • Drive down Main for three quarters of a mile, then make a sharp right turn onto Pine.
    • a sharp turn or curve
  4. Steep; precipitous; abrupt.
    • a sharp ascent or descent
  5. Said of as extreme a value as possible.
    • Sure, any planar graph can be five-colored. But that result is not sharp: in fact, any planar graph can be four-colored. That is sharp: the same can't be said for any lower number.
  6. Tactical; risky.
    • Time and time again, the amateur player has lost the opportunity to make the really best move because he felt bound to follow some chess "rule" he had learned, rather than to make the sharp move which was indicated by the position.1963, Max Euwe, Chess Master Vs. Chess Amateur, page xviii
    • In such situations most chess players choose the obvious and logical way: they go in for sharp play. However, not everyone is a natural attacking player[…]1975, Luděk Pachman, Decisive Games in Chess History, page 64
  7. Piercing; keen; severe; painful.
    • a sharp pain; the sharp and frosty winter air
    • Sharp misery had worn him to the bones.c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
  8. Eager or keen in pursuit; impatient for gratification.
    • a sharp appetite
  9. (obsolete) Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous.
    • And fear of God, from whom their piety feign'd In sharp contest of battle found no aid Against invaders1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost
    • A sharp assault already is begun;1665, John Dryden, The Indian Emperor: Act III
  10. Composed of hard, angular grains; gritty.
    • Well-burnt good lime and sharp sand, if very sharp, a load of sand (about 36 bushels) to a hundred of lime (being 25 bushels, or a hundred pecks[…]1700, Edward Moxon, Mechanical Exercises
  11. (dated) Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone; aspirated; unvoiced.
  12. (obsolete) Hungry.
    • “[W]hy this last week we ha'n't had nothing at all but some dry musty red herrings; so you may think, Miss, we're kept pretty sharp!”1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, II.iii.1
    • “[…] It’s child’s play to find the stuff now. I’ve half a mind to dine first.”
      “I don’t feel sharp,” growled Morgan.1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC

Adverb

sharp (comparative sharper, superlative sharpest)

  1. To a point or edge.
  2. Piercingly.
    • The iron plates rang sharp, but turn'd the spear1853, Matthew Arnold, Sohrab and Rustum
  3. Eagerly.
    • You bite so sharp at reasons.c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
  4. So as to make a sharp, or tight, angle.
    • South of the city the river turns sharp to the east.
    • sharp left, sharp right
  5. (not comparable) Exactly.
    • I'll see you at twelve o'clock sharp.
    Synonyms:
    exactly
  6. In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable.
    • I didn't enjoy the concert much because the soprano sang sharp on all the high notes.
    • Whereas Matilda Milner frequently sang sharp, in spite of the efforts of Miss Brown, who played the accompaniment, to give her the right note and keep her in tune.1867, Dutton Cook, Hobson's Choice, Chapter 8, “Music Hath Charms”, p. 72 https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Hobson_s_Choice/hwhhEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Matilda+Milner+frequently+sang+sharp%22...

Noun (1)

sharp (plural sharps)

  1. The symbol ⟨♯⟩, placed after the name of a note in the key signature or before a note on the staff to indicate that the note is to be played one chromatic semitone higher.
    • The pitch pipe sounded out a perfect F♯ (F sharp).
    • Transposition frequently is harder to read because of all the sharps and flats on the staff.
  2. A note that is played one chromatic semitone higher than usual; denoted by the name of the note that is followed by the symbol ⟨♯⟩.
  3. A note that is sharp in a particular key.
    • The piece was difficult to read after it had been transposed, since in the new key many notes were sharps.
  4. The scale having a particular sharp note as its tonic.
    • Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is written in C♯ minor (C sharp minor).
  5. (plural-normally) Something that is sharp.
    • Place sharps in the specially marked red container for safe disposal.
    • If butchers had but the manners to go to sharps, gentlemen would be contented with a rubber at cuffs.c. 1700, Jeremy Collier, On Duelling
    1. (plural-normally) A hypodermic syringe.
    2. (dated, plural-normally) A scalpel or other edged instrument used in surgery.
    3. (plural-normally) A sharp object; any item pointed enough to injure human skin.
  6. A dishonest person; a cheater.
    • The billiard sharp whom anyone catches / His doom's extremely hard— [...]1885, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert; Arthur Sullivan, composer, “A More Humane Mikado”, in […] The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu, London: Chappel & Co., […], →OCLC, Act II, page 36
    • The casino kept in the break room a set of pictures of known sharps for the bouncers to see.
  7. Part of a stream where the water runs very rapidly.
    • here are good fish to be picked out of sharps and stop-holes into the water-tables1858, Charles Kingsley, “Chalk Stream Studies”, in Fraser's Magazine
  8. A sewing needle with a very slender point, more pointed than a blunt or a between.
  9. (in plural) Fine particles of husk mixed with coarse particle of flour of cereals; middlings.
    • While he worked he talked to his ducks, who were waddling about hopefully, as it was almost time for the red bucket to be filled with sharps and potato-peelings.1954, Barbara Comyns, Who Was Changed And Who Was Dead, Dorothy, published 2010, page 21
  10. (dated, slang) An expert.
  11. A sharpie (member of Australian gangs of the 1960s and 1970s).
    • The Circle was one of the few dances the older sharps frequented; mostly they were to be found in pubs, pool-halls or at the track.2006, Iain McIntyre, Tomorrow Is Today: Australia in the Psychedelic Era, 1966-1970

Verb

sharp (third-person singular simple present sharps, present participle sharping, simple past and past participle sharped)

  1. To raise the pitch of a note half a step making a natural note a sharp.
    • That new musician must be tone deaf: he sharped half the notes of the song!
  2. To play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper.
    • he made a shift yet to pick up a Sorry Living upon the Rook ; and not by Sharping alone , but now and then by downright Stealing1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC
  3. (obsolete, transitive) To sharpen.

Proper noun capitalized: Sharp

Sharp (plural Sharps)

  1. A surname.
  2. An unincorporated community in Ozark County, Missouri, United States.

Noun (2) capitalized: SHARP

SHARP (plural SHARPs)

  1. (abbreviation, acronym) Acronym of skinhead against racial prejudice.

Also used as

sharp is also the alternative form of sharpie.

sharp meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Bengali

sharp in Hindi

able to cut easily
तीक्ष्ण tīkṣṇa
pointed, able to pierce easily
नुकीला nukīlā, तीखा tīkhā, तीव्र tīvra
intelligent
कुशाग्र kuśāgra, प्रखर prakhar
having an intense, acrid flavour
तीखा tīkhā, तीव्र tīvra

sharp in Tamil

able to cut easily
கூரான kūrāṉa

sharp in Marathi

तीक्ष्ण, धारदार

sharp in Bengali

able to cut easily
ধারালো dharalō
pointed, able to pierce easily
ধারালো dharalō
intelligent
বুদ্ধিমান buddhiman
More languagesFewer languages
sharp in Telugu
పదునైన padunaina
sharp in Malayalam
മൂർച്ചയേറിയ, മൂർച്ചയുള്ള
sharp in Kannada
ತೀಕ್ಷ್ಣವಾದ, ತೀಕ್ಷ್ಣ
sharp in Punjabi
ਤਿੱਖੀ, ਤਿੱਖਾ, ਤਿੱਖੇ
sharp in Gujarati
તીક્ષ્ણ, તીખી, તીખા
sharp in Odia
ତୀକ୍ଷ୍ଣ, ତୀକ୍ଷ୍ଣ |
sharp in Sanskrit
तीक्ष्ण tīkṣṇa, शित śita, निशित niśita, तिग्म tigma
sharp in Assamese
ধাৰ dhar, চোকা süka
sharp in Nepali
तीखो, तीक्ष्ण
sharp in Tagalog
matalim, sustinido, sostenido, matulis
sharp in Arabic
حَادّ ḥādd
sharp in Malay
tajam
sharp in Indonesian
tajam
sharp in Persian
تیز tiz, تیزهوش tizhuš, تند tond
sharp in Thai
คม kom, ชาร์ป cháap, แหลม lɛ̌ɛm, ฉลาด chà-làat
sharp in Vietnamese
sắc, bén, nhọn
sharp in Myanmar
ချွန် hkywan, ချွန်ထက် hkywanhtak

Examples of sharp in a sentence

  • a face with sharp features
  • This usage is often classified as a variant spelling of shark, and unrelated to the 'pointed' or 'cutting' meanings of sharp.
  • Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
  • If a knife which is sharp is incorrectly used it will obviously be dangerous.1984, Michael Grater, Paper Mask Making, →ISBN, page 55:
  • Fifteen children reported handling curvos, five machetes, and one a sharp knife used to cut yellow leaves off the banana plants.2002, Carol Pier, Tainted Harvest, →ISBN:
  • Yet, review of 25 years of English language literature on the subject of sharp force injury adds remarkably little to this topic.2006, Werner U. Spitz, Daniel J. Spitz, Russell S. Fisher, Spitz and Fisher's Medicolegal Investigation of Death, →ISBN:

All 40 example sentences with sharp

Synonyms of sharp

27 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Antonyms

10 more antonymsFewer antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of sharp

Forms of sharp

Adjective
comparativesharper
superlativesharpest
Adverb
comparativesharper
superlativesharpest
Noun
pluralsharps
pluralSHARPs
Verb
third-person singular presentsharps
present participlesharping
past participlesharped
pastsharped
Proper noun
pluralSharps
alternative formSharpe

Plural of sharp: sharps

Origin of sharp

From Middle English scharp, from Old English sċearp, from Proto-West Germanic *skarp, from Proto-Germanic *skarpaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerb-, from *(s)ker- (“to cut”). Cognate with West Frisian skerp, Low German scherp, scharp, schaarp, Dutch scherp, German scharf, Danish skarp. Compare Irish cearb (“keen; cutting”), Latin acerbus (“tart, bitter”), Tocharian B kärpye (“rough”), Latvian skârbs (“sharp, rough”), Russian щерба (ščerba, “notch”), Polish szczerba (“gap, dent, jag, chip, nick, notch”), Albanian harb (“rudeness”). More at shear.

* As an English, Scottish and occasionally Irish (translated from géar) surname, from the adjective sharp. * As a German surname, Americanized from scharf (“sharp”), same meaning as above.

Words formed from sharp

Phrases with sharp

14 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with sharp

Questions about sharp

What does sharp mean?
Sharp means terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut or pierce easily; not dull, obtuse, or rounded.
What is sharp in Hindi?
Sharp in Hindi is तीक्ष्ण (tīkṣṇa), तीव्र (tīvra), तीखा (tīkhā). See Sharp meaning in Hindi.
How do you use sharp in a sentence?
a face with sharp features
What part of speech is sharp?
Sharp can be an adjective, an adverb, a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce sharp?
Sharp is pronounced /ʃɑːp/ (UK).

Words near sharp in the dictionary

  1. Sharonis
  2. Sharons
  3. sharovarshchyna
  4. Sharoyan
  5. Sharoyans
  6. sharp
  7. sharp as a bowling ball
  8. sharp as a butter knife
  9. sharp as a tack
  10. sharp cedar
  11. sharp cedars

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: sharp (page history and authors); Sharp (page history and authors); SHARP (page history and authors); sharp (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); sharp (Malayalam, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); sharp (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); sharp (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); sharp (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); sharp (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); sharp (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-sharp.ogg.

Cite this entry: “sharp.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sharp. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.