whet
verb
1 whet
Make keen or more acute:
— Whet my appetite.
synonym: quicken.
Roget 824: excite, affect, touch, move, impress, strike, interest, animate, inspire, impassion, smite, infect; stir the blood, fire the blood, warm the blood; set astir; wake, awake, awaken; call forth; evoke, provoke; raise up, summon up, call up, wake up, blow up, get up, light up; raise; get up the steam, rouse, arouse, stir; fire, kindle, enkindle, apply the torch, set on fire, inflame. stimulate; exsuscitate†; inspirit; spirit up, stir up, work up, pique; infuse life into, give new life to; bring new blood, introduce new blood; quicken; sharpen, whet; work upon etc. (incite) 615; hurry on, give a fillip, put on one's mettle. fan the fire, fan the flame; blow the coals, stir the embers; fan into a flame; foster, heat, warm, foment, raise to a fever heat; keep up, keep the pot boiling; revive, rekindle; rake up, rip up. stir the feelings, play on the feelings, come home to the feelings; touch a string, touch a chord, touch the soul, touch the heart; go to one's heart, penetrate, pierce, go through one, touch to the quick; possess the soul, pervade the soul, penetrate the soul, imbrue the soul, absorb the soul, affect the soul, disturb the soul. absorb, rivet the attention; sink into the mind, sink into the heart; prey on the mind, distract; intoxicate; overwhelm, overpower; bouleverser [Fr.], upset, turn one's head. fascinate; enrapture etc. (give pleasure) 829. agitate, perturb, ruffle, fluster, shake, disturb, startle, shock, stagger; give one a shock, give one a turn; strike all of a heap; stun, astound, electrify, galvanize, petrify. irritate, sting; cut to the heart, cut to the quick; try one's temper; fool to the top of one's bent, pique; infuriate, madden, make one's blood boil; lash into fury etc. (wrath) 900. be excited etc. adj.; flush up, flare up; catch the infection; thrill etc. (feel) 821; mantle; work oneself up; seethe, boil, simmer, foam, fume, flame, rage, rave; run mad etc. (passion) 825. ... show more
Roget 253: be sharp etc. adj.; taper to a point; bristle with. render sharp etc. adj.; sharpen, point, aculeate, whet, barb, spiculate†, set, strop, grind; chip (flint). cut etc. (sunder) 44. ... show more
Dutch: wetten, slijpen
2 whet
Sharpen by rubbing, as on a whetstone.
is a specific kind of: sharpen.
noun
Roget 615: motive, springs of action, wellsprings of action. reason, ground, call, principle; by end, by purpose; mainspring, primum mobile [Lat.], keystone; the why and the wherefore; pro and con, reason why; secret motive, arriere pensee [Fr.]; intention etc. 620. inducement, consideration; attraction; loadstone; magnet, magnetism, magnetic force; allectation†, allective†; temptation, enticement, agacerie†, allurement, witchery; bewitchment, bewitchery; charm; spell etc. 993; fascination, blandishment, cajolery; seduction, seducement; honeyed words, voice of the tempter, song of the Sirens forbidden fruit, golden apple. persuasibility†, persuasibleness†; attractability†; impressibility, susceptibility; softness; persuasiveness, attractiveness; tantalization†. influence, prompting, dictate, instance; impulse, impulsion; incitement, incitation; press, instigation; provocation etc. (excitation of feeling) 824; inspiration; persuasion, suasion; encouragement, advocacy; exhortation; advice etc. 695; solicitation etc. (request) 765; lobbyism; pull [Slang]. incentive, stimulus, spur, fillip, whip, goad, ankus†, rowel, provocative, whet, dram. bribe, lure; decoy, decoy duck; bait, trail of a red herring; bribery and corruption; sop, sop for Cerberus. prompter, tempter; seducer, seductor†; instigator, firebrand, incendiary; Siren, Circe; agent provocateur; lobbyist. ... show more
Roget 298: eating etc. v.; deglutition, gulp, epulation†, mastication, manducation†, rumination; gluttony etc. 957. [eating specific foods] hippophagy†, ichthyophagy†. [Eating anatomy:] (appetite) etc. 865; mouth, jaws, mandible, mazard†, gob [Slang], chops. drinking etc. v.; potation, draught, libation; carousal etc. (amusement) 840; drunkenness etc. 959. food, pabulum; aliment, nourishment, nutriment; sustenance, sustentation, sustention; nurture, subsistence, provender, corn, feed, fodder, provision, ration, keep, commons, board; commissariat etc. (provision) 637; prey, forage, pasture, pasturage; fare, cheer; diet, dietary; regimen; belly timber, staff of life; bread, bread and cheese. comestibles, eatables, victuals, edibles, ingesta; grub, grubstake, prog†, meat; bread, bread stuffs; cerealia†; cereals; viands, cates†, delicacy, dainty, creature comforts, contents of the larder, fleshpots; festal board; ambrosia; good cheer, good living. beef, bisquit†, bun; cornstarch [U.S.]; cookie, cooky [U.S.]; cracker, doughnut; fatling†; hardtack, hoecake [U.S.], hominy [U.S.]; mutton, pilot bread; pork; roti†, rusk, ship biscuit; veal; joint, piece de resistance [Fr.], roast and boiled; remove, entremet†, releve [Fr.], hash, rechauffe [Fr.], stew, ragout, fricassee, mince; pottage, potage†, broth, soup, consomme, puree, spoonmeat†; pie, pasty, volauvent†; pudding, omelet; pastry; sweets etc. 296; kickshaws†; condiment etc. 393. appetizer, hors d'oeuvre [Fr.]. main course, entree. alligator pear, apple &c., apple slump; artichoke; ashcake†, griddlecake, pancake, flapjack; atole†, avocado, banana, beche de mer [Fr.], barbecue, beefsteak; beet root; blackberry, blancmange, bloater, bouilli†, bouillon, breadfruit, chop suey [U.S.]; chowder, chupatty†, clam, compote, damper, fish, frumenty†, grapes, hasty pudding, ice cream, lettuce, mango, mangosteen, mince pie, oatmeal, oyster, pineapple, porridge, porterhouse steak, salmis†, sauerkraut, sea slug, sturgeon ("Albany beef"), succotash [U.S.], supawn [U.S.], trepang†, vanilla, waffle, walnut. table, cuisine, bill of fare, menu, table d'hote [Fr.], ordinary, entree. meal, repast, feed, spread; mess; dish, plate, course; regale; regalement†, refreshment, entertainment; refection, collation, picnic, feast, banquet, junket; breakfast; lunch, luncheon; dejeuner [Fr.], bever†, tiffin†, dinner, supper, snack, junk food, fast food, whet, bait, dessert; potluck, table d'hote [Fr.], dejeuner a la fourchette [Fr.]; hearty meal, square meal, substantial meal, full meal; blowout [Slang]; light refreshment; bara†, chotahazri†; bara khana†. mouthful, bolus, gobbet†, morsel, sop, sippet†. drink, beverage, liquor, broth, soup; potion, dram, draught, drench, swill [Slang]; nip, sip, sup, gulp. wine, spirits, liqueur, beer, ale, malt liquor, Sir John Barleycorn, stingo†, heavy wet; grog, toddy, flip, purl, punch, negus†, cup, bishop, wassail; gin etc. (intoxicating liquor) 959; coffee, chocolate, cocoa, tea, the cup that cheers but not inebriates; bock beer, lager beer, Pilsener beer, schenck beer†; Brazil tea, cider, claret, ice water, mate, mint julep [U.S.]; near beer, 3. 2 beer, non-alcoholic beverage. eating house etc. 189. [person who eats] diner; hippophage; glutton etc. 957. ... show more
Moby thesaurus: accelerate, aculeate, acuminate, aggravate, agitate, animate, antepast, antipasto, aperitif, appetizer, arouse, awaken, bait, barb, beef up, bestir, blow the coals, blow up, bribe, canape, carrot, challenge, complicate, concentrate, condense, consolidate, cultivate, cuspidate, deepen, double, edge, encouragement, enhance, enliven, exacerbate, exaggerate, excite, exhilarate, fan, fan the flame, feed the fire, ferment, file, fillip, fire, foment, foretaste, galvanize, grind, heat, heat up, heighten, hone, hop up, hot up, impassion, incense, incentive, incite, incitement, inducement, inflame, infuse life into, instigate, intensify, interest, invigorate, invitation, jazz up, key up, kindle, lure, magnify, make complex, make sensitive, nettle, oilstone, payment, percentage, persuasive, pick up, pique, point, profit, provocation, provoke, put up to, quicken, rally, ramify, redouble, refine, reinforce, renew, reset, resuscitate, revive, reward, rouse, sensibilize, sensitize, set, set on, sharp, sharpen, sic on, smorgasbord, soup up, spiculate, spur, step up, stimulate, stimulation, stimulative, stimulus, stir, stir the embers, stir up, strap, strengthen, strop, sweetener, sweetening, taper, tickle, triple, wake, waken, whip up, work up ... show more.
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