stiffen

Verb

stiffen (third-person singular simple present stiffens, present participle stiffening, simple past and past participle stiffened)

1. (transitive) To make stiff.
   • As Willis spoke and tried to smile the voices inside him rang together like a bell, stiffening him and hollowing him and emptying him of his troubled song.1986, Melvin Dixon, “The Boy with Beer”, in Joseph Beam, editor, In The Life: A Black Gay Anthology, page 33
   • Criminal prosecutions of abusers are generally the responsibility of local authorities, but the act stiffened sentences for stalking under federal law.2013 March 7, “President signs Violence Against Women Act”, in CNN
2. (intransitive) To become stiff.
   • Bewildered by the unexpected greeting, my son stiffened, but managed a polite answer.2003, Yoko Ogawa, The Housekeeper and the Professor
   • He does note that fascia, like most connective tissue in the body, stiffens with age, overuse and injury.2018 November 8, Dr. Melina Jampolis, “The real science behind fascia ailments”, in CNN