Definitions for Sharpʃɑrp

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

sharp^*ʃɑrp(adj.; v.; adv.; n.)sharp•er, sharp•est

(adj.)having a thin cutting edge or a fine point; well-adapted for cutting or piercing:
a sharp knife.
terminating in an edge or point; not blunt or rounded:
sharp corners.
involving an abrupt change in direction or course:
a sharp curve in the road.
clearly defined; distinct:
a sharp contrast.
pungent or biting in taste:
a sharp cheese.
piercing or shrill in sound:
a sharp cry.
keenly cold, as weather:
a sharp, biting wind.
felt acutely; intense:
sharp pain.
merciless, caustic, or harsh:
sharp words.
alert or vigilant:
a sharp watch.
mentally acute:
a sharp lad.
extremely sensitive; keen.
Category: Common Vocabulary
shrewd or astute:
a sharp bargainer.
shrewd to the point of dishonesty:
sharp practice.
Music. (of a tone) raised a chromatic half step in pitch: above an intended pitch, as a note; too high
F sharp.
Ref: (opposed to flat 1 ).
Informal. very stylish:
a sharp dresser.
(v.t.)Music. to raise in pitch, esp. by one chromatic half step.
(v.i.)Music.to sound above the true pitch.
(adv.)keenly or acutely.
abruptly or suddenly.
punctually:
Meet me at one o'clock sharp.
Music. above the true pitch.
(n.)Usu., sharps. a medium-length, all-purpose sewing needle with a sharp point.
Category: Clothing
Ref: sharper.
Informal. an expert.
Music. a tone one chromatic half step above a given tone. (in musical notation) the symbol ♯ indicating this.

^* Syn: sharp , keen , intelligent , quick may all be applied to mental qualities and abilities. sharp means mentally alert or acute; it implies a clever and astute quality: a sharp mind.keen suggests an incisive, observant, or penetrating nature: a keen observer.intelligent means not only acute, alert, and active, but also able to reason and understand: an intelligent reader.quick suggests lively and rapid comprehension, prompt response to instruction, and the like: quick at figures.

Origin of sharp:

bef. 900; (adj.) ME; OE scearp, c. OFris, OS skarp, OHG skar(p)f, ON skarpr

sharp′ness(n.)

Princeton's WordNet

sharp(noun)
a musical notation indicating one half step higher than the note named
sharp(adj)
a long thin sewing needle with a sharp point
crisp, sharp(adj)
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
"a sharp photographic image"; "the sharp crack of a twig"; "the crisp snap of dry leaves underfoot"
acuate, acute, sharp, needlelike(adj)
ending in a sharp point
acute, discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, sharp(adj)
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
"an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations"
astute, sharp, shrewd(adj)
marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
"a smart businessman"; "an astute tenant always reads the small print in a lease"; "he was too shrewd to go along with them on a road that could lead only to their overthrow"
sharp, sharp-worded, tart(adj)
harsh
"sharp criticism"; "a sharp-worded exchange"; "a tart remark"
shrill, sharp(adj)
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
"a shrill whistle"; "a shrill gaiety"
abrupt, precipitous, sharp(adj)
extremely steep
"an abrupt canyon"; "the precipitous rapids of the upper river"; "the precipitous hills of Chinese paintings"; "a sharp drop"
sharp(adj)
keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point
"a sharp pain"; "sharp winds"
sharp(adj)
having or made by a thin edge or sharp point; suitable for cutting or piercing
"a sharp knife"; "a pencil with a sharp point"
sharp(adj)
(of a musical note) raised in pitch by one chromatic semitone
"C sharp"
sharp(adj)
very sudden and in great amount or degree
"a sharp drop in the stock market"
sharp(adverb)
quick and forceful
"a sharp blow"
sharply, sharp, acutely(adverb)
changing suddenly in direction and degree
"the road twists sharply after the light"; "turn sharp left here"; "the visor was acutely peaked"; "her shoes had acutely pointed toes"

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

sharp(adjective)ʃɑrp
≠ dull
Careful - the knife is sharp.; an instrument with a sharp point
sharpʃɑrp
≠ gentle
a sharp drop/fall/decrease in prices; a sharp rise/increase
sharpʃɑrp
(of a pain) sudden and stinging
a sharp pain in my chest
sharpʃɑrp
able to think quickly and intelligently
She's very sharp.
sharpʃɑrp
(of an image) clearly defined
a digital TV with a very sharp picture
sharpʃɑrp
changing direction quickly
a sharp bend in the road; He made a sharp turn.
sharpʃɑrp
obviously different
sharp divisions in the ruling party
sharpʃɑrp
(of sth you say) expressing strong negative feelings or thoughts
her sharp reply
sharp(adverb)ʃɑrp
exactly
Please be here at 8:00 a.m. sharp.

Wiktionary

sharp(Noun)
The symbol u266F, 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 a semitone higher.
sharp(Noun)
A note that is played a semitone higher than usual; denoted by the name of the note that is followed by the symbol u266F.
sharp(Noun)
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.
sharp(Noun)
The scale having a particular sharp note as its tonic.
Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is written in Cu266F minor (C sharp minor.)
sharp(Noun)
Something which is sharp.
Place sharps in the specially marked red container for safe disposal.
sharp(Noun)
A hypodermic syringe.
sharp(Noun)
A scalpel or other edged instrument used in surgery.
sharp(Noun)
A dishonest person; a cheater.
The casino kept in the break room a set of pictures of known sharps for the bouncers to see.
sharp(Verb)
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!
sharp(Adverb)
Exactly.
I'll see you at twelve o'clock sharp.
sharp(Adverb)
In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable.
I didn't enjoy the concert much because the tenor kept going sharp on the high notes.
sharp(Adjective)
Able to cut easily.
I keep my knives sharp so that they don't slip unexpectedly while carving.
sharp(Adjective)
Intelligent.
My nephew is a sharp lad; he can count to 100 in six languages, and he's only five years old.
sharp(Adjective)
Able to pierce easily; pointed.
Ernest made the pencil too sharp and accidentally stabbed himself with it.
sharp(Adjective)
Higher than usual by one semitone (denoted by the symbol u266F after the name of the note).
sharp(Adjective)
Higher in pitch than required.
The orchestra's third violin several times was sharp about an eighth of a tone.
sharp(Adjective)
Having an intense, acrid flavour.
Milly couldn't stand sharp cheeses when she was pregnant, because they made her nauseated.
sharp(Adjective)
sudden and intense.
A pregnant woman during labor normally experiences a number of sharp contractions.
sharp(Adjective)
Illegal or dishonest.
Michael had a number of sharp ventures that he kept off the books.
sharp(Adjective)
Exact, precise, accurate; keen.
You'll need sharp aim to make that shot.
sharp(Adjective)
Offensive, critical, or acrimonious, as sharp criticism.
When the two rivals met, first there were sharp words, and then a fight broke out.
sharp(Adjective)
Stylish or attractive.
You look so sharp in that tuxedo!
sharp(Adjective)
Observant; alert; acute.
Keep a sharp watch on the prisoners. I don't want them to escape!
sharp(Adjective)
Forming a small angle; 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.
sharp(Adjective)
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.

Origin: From scearp, from skarpaz (cf. West Frisian skerp, Dutch scherp, German scharf), from (s)kerb(h) (cf. Irish cearb 'keen; cutting', Latin aacerbus 'tart, bitter', Tocharian B kärpye 'rough', Latvian skârbs 'sharp, rough', Russian 'notch', Albanian tharbët 'sour'), from *(s)ker- 'to cut'. More at shear.

Webster Dictionary

Sharp
having a very thin edge or fine point; of a nature to cut or pierce easily; not blunt or dull; keen
Sharp
terminating in a point or edge; not obtuse or rounded; somewhat pointed or edged; peaked or ridged; as, a sharp hill; sharp features
Sharp
affecting the sense as if pointed or cutting, keen, penetrating, acute: to the taste or smell, pungent, acid, sour, as ammonia has a sharp taste and odor; to the hearing, piercing, shrill, as a sharp sound or voice; to the eye, instantaneously brilliant, dazzling, as a sharp flash
Sharp
high in pitch; acute; as, a sharp note or tone
Sharp
raised a semitone in pitch; as, C sharp (C/), which is a half step, or semitone, higher than C
Sharp
so high as to be out of tune, or above true pitch; as, the tone is sharp; that instrument is sharp. Opposed in all these senses to flat
Sharp
very trying to the feelings; piercing; keen; severe; painful; distressing; as, sharp pain, weather; a sharp and frosty air
Sharp
cutting in language or import; biting; sarcastic; cruel; harsh; rigorous; severe; as, a sharp rebuke
Sharp
of keen perception; quick to discern or distinguish; having nice discrimination; acute; penetrating; sagacious; clever; as, a sharp eye; sharp sight, hearing, or judgment
Sharp
eager in pursuit; keen in quest; impatient for gratification; keen; as, a sharp appetite
Sharp
fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous
Sharp
keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interest; close and exact in dealing; shrewd; as, a sharp dealer; a sharp customer
Sharp
composed of hard, angular grains; gritty; as, sharp sand
Sharp
steep; precipitous; abrupt; as, a sharp ascent or descent; a sharp turn or curve
Sharp
uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone, without voice, as certain consonants, such as p, k, t, f; surd; nonvocal; aspirated
Sharp(adverb)
to a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply
Sharp(adverb)
precisely; exactly; as, we shall start at ten o'clock sharp
Sharp(noun)
a sharp tool or weapon
Sharp(noun)
the character [/] used to indicate that the note before which it is placed is to be raised a half step, or semitone, in pitch
Sharp(noun)
a sharp tone or note
Sharp(noun)
a portion of a stream where the water runs very rapidly
Sharp(noun)
a sewing needle having a very slender point; a needle of the most pointed of the three grades, blunts, betweens, and sharps
Sharp(noun)
same as Middlings, 1
Sharp(noun)
an expert
Sharp(verb)
to sharpen
Sharp(verb)
to raise above the proper pitch; to elevate the tone of; especially, to raise a half step, or semitone, above the natural tone
Sharp(verb)
to play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper
Sharp(verb)
to sing above the proper pitch