(~s, ~er, ~est)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ point or edge is very thin and can cut through things very easily. A ~ knife, tool, or other object has a point or edge of this kind.
The other end of the twig is ~ened into a ~ point to use as a toothpick...
Using a ~ knife, cut away the pith and peel from both fruits...
? blunt
ADJ
2.
You can describe a shape or an object as ~ if part of it or one end of it comes to a point or forms an angle.
His nose was thin and ~.
ADJ
3.
A ~ bend or turn is one that changes direction suddenly.
I was approaching a fairly ~ bend that swept downhill to the left.
= tight
ADJ
•
Sharp is also an adverb.
Do not cross the bridge but turn ~ left to go down on to the towpath.
ADV: ADV adv
~ly
Room number nine was at the far end of the corridor where it turned ~ly to the right.
ADV: ADV after v
4.
If you describe someone as ~, you are praising them because they are quick to notice, hear, understand, or react to things.
He is very ~, a quick thinker and swift with repartee...
ADJ approval
5.
If someone says something in a ~ way, they say it suddenly and rather firmly or angrily, for example because they are warning or criticizing you.
That ruling had drawn ~ criticism from civil rights groups.
ADJ
~ly
‘You’ve known,’ she said ~ly, ‘and you didn’t tell me?’
ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj
6.
A ~ change, movement, or feeling occurs suddenly, and is great in amount, force, or degree.
There’s been a ~ rise in the rate of inflation...
He felt a ~ pain in the abductor muscle in his right thigh.
ADJ
~ly
Unemployment among the over forties has risen ~ly in recent years...
ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj
7.
A ~ difference, image, or sound is very easy to see, hear, or distinguish.
Many people make a ~ distinction between humans and other animals...
We heard a voice sing out in a clear, ~ tone.
ADJ: usu ADJ n
~ly
Opinions on this are ~ly divided...
ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj
8.
A ~ taste or smell is rather strong or bitter, but is often also clear and fresh.
...a colourless, almost odourless liquid with a ~, sweetish taste...
ADJ
9.
Sharp is used after stating a particular time to show that something happens at exactly the time stated.
She planned to unlock the store at 8.00 ~ this morning.
= precisely
ADV: n ADV
10.
Sharp is used after a letter representing a musical note to show that the note should be played or sung half a tone higher. Sharp is often represented by the symbol ?.
A solitary viola plucks a lonely, soft F ~.
? flat
N-COUNT: usu n N
11.
see also razor-~