stiffenstiff‧en /ˈstɪfən/ verb 
He touched her, and she stiffened.2[intransitive, transitive] to become stronger, more severe, or more determined, or to make something do this: a campaign to stiffen rules against drink-driving Their opposition only stiffened my resolve.3[intransitive] (also stiffen up) to become painful and difficult to move: His joints had stiffened. My back had stiffened up.4[transitive] to make material stiff so that it will not bend easily
VERB TABLE
stiffen
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | stiffen |
| he, she, it | stiffens | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | stiffened |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have stiffened |
| he, she, it | has stiffened | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had stiffened |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will stiffen |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have stiffened |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am stiffening |
| he, she, it | is stiffening | |
| you, we, they | are stiffening | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was stiffening |
| you, we, they | were stiffening | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been stiffening |
| he, she, it | has been stiffening | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been stiffening |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be stiffening |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been stiffening |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Moisture will only stiffen the leather of your shoes.
- Nora stiffened when she heard her ex-boyfriend's name mentioned.
- Point your toes and stiffen the muscles in your legs.
- The council wants to stiffen the penalty for drunk driving.
- You can stiffen curtain fabric by using a special liquid solution.
- Already, Meh'Lindi's own skin seemed to be stiffening under that black second skin.
- He will stiffen their resistance to cuts in welfare.
- High school graduation standards must be stiffened.
- I had to cut quickly, before the dough stiffened.
- It also stiffened his intransigence toward his internal critics, and in turn stiffened their resistance to him.
- Leaning back into the hill and stiffening the downhill leg is the worst reaction, if the most instinctive.
- The very thought stiffened her body in his arms and she all but scowled at him.
- Then all at once he stiffened, staring again towards the shore.
Longman Language Activatorto become hard or make something hard
· The glue needs about 24 hours to harden.· Steel is hardened by heating it to a very high temperature.harden into/to · Much of the mountain consists of volcanic ash, long since hardened to jagged rock.
if a liquid such as melted metal or wax solidifies , it becomes hard: · Tools are made by pouring liquid metal into a mould and allowing it to cool and solidify.· As the lava flowed down the volcano it solidified, forming strange shapes.
if a liquid substance sets , it becomes harder - use this to talk about something that slowly becomes harder after it is mixed with water, for example, food or building materials: · Put the jelly in the fridge for an hour to set.· The concrete will take several hours to set, so make sure no one walks on it.
if a liquid freezes , it becomes hard because it has become very cold: · The water in the lake used to freeze most winters, and then it was good for skating.be frozen solid: · Hey! The milk's frozen solid!
to make something stiffer and harder: · Point your toes and stiffen the muscles in your legs.· You can stiffen curtain fabric by using a special liquid solution.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Their opposition only stiffened my resolve. His joints had stiffened.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
Their opposition only stiffened my resolve. His joints had stiffened.· If I'd stopped it would have stiffened up.· He made his Kings debut Saturday, but his back stiffened up afterward.· My hips go, my knees get too sore, my back stiffens up and I can't bend.· The men stiffened up to the color line, charged forward with a cheer, and drove back the enemy.· This makes the hollow stem go rubbery for a few seconds, but then it just stiffens up straight as it cools.· I got out of bed, and my back had stiffened up overnight to where I could just barely bend.· But everybody says I put on a show with the big ones, stiffening up and then jerking all over.
NOUN· My hips go, my knees get too sore, my back stiffens up and I can't bend.· He made his Kings debut Saturday, but his back stiffened up afterward.· The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened.· I got out of bed, and my back had stiffened up overnight to where I could just barely bend.
· Fran gasped, her whole body stiffening as wave after wave of heat enveloped her.· She did not act surprised when she saw them, but he felt her whole body stiffen.· The grin vanished like magic, her whole body stiffening in antipathy as her eyes locked with fathomless brown ones.· As he sat there in the passenger seat his body was stiffening, his innards felt like bile.· His body stiffens as we reach the ward, St Patricia's, fifth floor.· He felt her whole body stiffen in shock, but though she gasped, she did not cry out.
· He will stiffen their resistance to cuts in welfare.· It also stiffened his intransigence toward his internal critics, and in turn stiffened their resistance to him.
· But no, his wayward member twitched once more, started to stiffen with free-willed resolve.· Denial can obscure obstacles and stiffen resolve.
VERB· He felt his face stiffen, grow pale with rage.· She did not act surprised when she saw them, but he felt her whole body stiffen.· He felt the house stiffen against the world that was reaching in for his father and him.· He said it so loudly he felt himself stiffen from the sound.· He felt her whole body stiffen in shock, but though she gasped, she did not cry out.· I felt myself stiffening with fear.
WORD FAMILYnounstiffnessstiffadverbstiffstifflyadjectivestiffverbstiffen
1[intransitive] if you stiffen, your body suddenly becomes firm, straight, or still because you feel angry or anxious OPP relax: He touched her, and she stiffened.2[intransitive, transitive] to become stronger, more severe, or more determined, or to make something do this: a campaign to stiffen rules against drink-driving Their opposition only stiffened my resolve.3[intransitive] (also stiffen up) to become painful and difficult to move: His joints had stiffened. My back had stiffened up.4[transitive] to make material stiff so that it will not bend easily