verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
up
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If I'd stopped it would have stiffened up .
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He made his Kings debut Saturday, but his back stiffened up afterward.
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My hips go, my knees get too sore, my back stiffens up and I can't bend.
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The men stiffened up to the color line, charged forward with a cheer, and drove back the enemy.
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This makes the hollow stem go rubbery for a few seconds, but then it just stiffens up straight as it cools.
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I got out of bed, and my back had stiffened up overnight to where I could just barely bend.
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But everybody says I put on a show with the big ones, stiffening up and then jerking all over.
■ NOUN
back
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My hips go, my knees get too sore, my back stiffens up and I can't bend.
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He made his Kings debut Saturday, but his back stiffened up afterward.
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The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened .
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I got out of bed, and my back had stiffened up overnight to where I could just barely bend.
body
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Fran gasped, her whole body stiffening as wave after wave of heat enveloped her.
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She did not act surprised when she saw them, but he felt her whole body stiffen .
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The grin vanished like magic, her whole body stiffening in antipathy as her eyes locked with fathomless brown ones.
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As he sat there in the passenger seat his body was stiffening , his innards felt like bile.
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His body stiffens as we reach the ward, St Patricia's, fifth floor.
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He felt her whole body stiffen in shock, but though she gasped, she did not cry out.
resistance
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He will stiffen their resistance to cuts in welfare.
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It also stiffened his intransigence toward his internal critics, and in turn stiffened their resistance to him.
resolve
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But no, his wayward member twitched once more, started to stiffen with free-willed resolve .
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Denial can obscure obstacles and stiffen resolve .
■ VERB
feel
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He felt his face stiffen , grow pale with rage.
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She did not act surprised when she saw them, but he felt her whole body stiffen .
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He felt the house stiffen against the world that was reaching in for his father and him.
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He said it so loudly he felt himself stiffen from the sound.
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He felt her whole body stiffen in shock, but though she gasped, she did not cry out.
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I felt myself stiffening with fear.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Moisture will only stiffen the leather of your shoes.
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Nora stiffened when she heard her ex-boyfriend's name mentioned.
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Point your toes and stiffen the muscles in your legs.
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The council wants to stiffen the penalty for drunk driving.
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You can stiffen curtain fabric by using a special liquid solution.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Already, Meh'Lindi's own skin seemed to be stiffening under that black second skin.
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He will stiffen their resistance to cuts in welfare.
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High school graduation standards must be stiffened.
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I had to cut quickly, before the dough stiffened.
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It also stiffened his intransigence toward his internal critics, and in turn stiffened their resistance to him.
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Leaning back into the hill and stiffening the downhill leg is the worst reaction, if the most instinctive.
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The very thought stiffened her body in his arms and she all but scowled at him.
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Then all at once he stiffened, staring again towards the shore.