[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/stiffen/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [S](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/s/) / stiffen

# stiffen

verb (stiffen, stiffens, stiffened, stiffening)

«stiffen» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To stiffen is to become hard, firm or difficult to bend. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#m1)
2. When a person or animal stiffens, their body suddenly goes tense and still, often from fear or anger. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#m2)
3. To stiffen something is to make it firmer or stronger. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#m3)
4. To stiffen can also mean to turn into stone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#m4)

### In the lessons

In cooking and science, egg whites stiffen when you whisk them, and glue or starch stiffens cloth. In PE, muscles can stiffen if you don't warm up or stretch. In stories «she stiffened» tells the reader the character is suddenly afraid, shocked or offended. Phrases: «stiffen with fear», «stiffen up».

### Examples

- Whisk the egg whites until they stiffen. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#x1)
- My legs stiffened after the long walk. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#x2)
- The dog stiffened when it heard a noise. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#x3)
- She stiffened when the stranger spoke to her. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#x4)
- Starch is used to stiffen collars. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#x5)
- The clay stiffens as it dries. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#x6)
- Stretch after running so your muscles don't stiffen. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#x7)
- Calling to his friends to avert their faces, he drew it from his wallet, and held it before Phineus and his formidable body-guard, whereupon they all stiffened into stone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/#x8)

### Note

Past: stiffened (double f, one n before -ed). Adjective: stiff; adverb: stiffly. «Stiffen» means become stiff, as «harden» means become hard.

## In Jewish tradition

To "stiffen the neck" means to be stubborn and refuse to obey God or turn back to him.

**Interpretation.** The tradition reads a stiff neck as a picture of pride. Zedekiah would not listen to Jeremiah, and this is given as a cause of the fall of Jerusalem.

### Examples

- And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God; but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD, the God of Israel. (Writings 2CH.36.13, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/stiffen/#x1)

### Note

Past: stiffened (double f, one n before -ed). Adjective: stiff; adverb: stiffly. «Stiffen» means become stiff, as «harden» means become hard.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «stiffen» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiffen/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«stiffen» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/stiffen.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «stiffen» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/stiffen/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«stiffen» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/stiffen.html) on Mova free.