smarten

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Related to smarten: smarten up

smart·en

(smär′tn)

v. smart·ened, smart·en·ing, smart·ens

v.tr.

1. To improve in appearance or stylishness; spruce up.

2. To make quicker: smarten the pace.

v.intr.

To make oneself smart or smarter.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

smarten

(ˈsmɑːtən)

vb (usually foll by up)

1. (intr) to make oneself neater

2. (tr) to make quicker or livelier

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

smart•en

(ˈsmɑr tn)

v.t.

1. to make more trim or spruce; improve in appearance (usu. fol. by up).

2. to make brisker, as a pace.

3. to sharpen the judgment or broaden the experience of (usu. fol. by up).

4. smarten up,

a. to groom oneself.

b. to become more aware, shrewd, or clever.

[1805–15]

smarten

Past participle: smartened
Gerund: smartening

Imperative
smarten
smarten

Present
I smarten
you smarten
he/she/it smartens
we smarten
you smarten
they smarten

Preterite
I smartened
you smartened
he/she/it smartened
we smartened
you smartened
they smartened

Present Continuous
I am smartening
you are smartening
he/she/it is smartening
we are smartening
you are smartening
they are smartening

Present Perfect
I have smartened
you have smartened
he/she/it has smartened
we have smartened
you have smartened
they have smartened

Past Continuous
I was smartening
you were smartening
he/she/it was smartening
we were smartening
you were smartening
they were smartening

Past Perfect
I had smartened
you had smartened
he/she/it had smartened
we had smartened
you had smartened
they had smartened

Future
I will smarten
you will smarten
he/she/it will smarten
we will smarten
you will smarten
they will smarten

Future Perfect
I will have smartened
you will have smartened
he/she/it will have smartened
we will have smartened
you will have smartened
they will have smartened

Future Continuous
I will be smartening
you will be smartening
he/she/it will be smartening
we will be smartening
you will be smartening
they will be smartening

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been smartening
you have been smartening
he/she/it has been smartening
we have been smartening
you have been smartening
they have been smartening

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been smartening
you will have been smartening
he/she/it will have been smartening
we will have been smartening
you will have been smartening
they will have been smartening

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been smartening
you had been smartening
he/she/it had been smartening
we had been smartening
you had been smartening
they had been smartening

Conditional
I would smarten
you would smarten
he/she/it would smarten
we would smarten
you would smarten
they would smarten

Past Conditional
I would have smartened
you would have smartened
he/she/it would have smartened
we would have smartened
you would have smartened
they would have smartened

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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smarten

verb (often with up) tidy, spruce up, groom, beautify, put in order, put to rights, gussy up (slang, chiefly U.S.) The reason for the uniform was to smarten up their image.

smarten yourself up spruce yourself up, freshen yourself up, titivate yourself (informal), tart yourself up (Brit. informal), beautify yourself The rest of us must smarten ourselves up immediately.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

smarten

verb

To improve in appearance, especially by refurbishing.Also used with up:

fix up, spruce (up).

Translations

يَتَحَسَّن، يُحَسِّن

být elegantněji upraven

fikse op

sich herausputzen

kicsípi magát

fiffe seg opp fikse seg opp

dať sa do poriadku

şıklaş mak

使变得光鲜亮丽使漂亮使潇洒使聪明

smarten

[ˈsmɑːtn] VT = smarten up

smarten up

A. VT + ADV → arreglar
to smarten o.s. up → arreglarse, adecentarse
I must go and smarten myself up → tengo que ir a arreglarme or adecentarme un poco
she has smartened herself up a lot in the last year → durante el año pasado ha mejorado mucho de aspecto or se ha arreglado mucho
to smarten up one's ideas → espabilarse

B. VI + ADV [person] → arreglarse, adecentarse; [town] → mejorar de aspecto

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

smarten

(also smarten up)

vt house, room → herausputzen; appearance → (her)richten, aufmöbeln (inf); to smarten oneself up (= dress up) → sich in Schale werfen (inf); (= generally improve appearance) → mehr Wert auf sein Äußeres legen; you’d better smarten up your ideas (inf) → du solltest dich am Riemen reißen (inf)

vi (= dress up) → sich in Schale werfen (inf); (= improve appearance) → sich herausmachen; (pace) → schneller or flotter (inf) → werden

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

smarten

[ˈsmɑːtn]

1. vt (also smarten up) (room, house) → abbellire, ravvivare; (child) → far bello/a; (o.s.) → farsi bello/a
to smarten up one's ideas → darsi una mossa

2. vi (also smarten up) → abbellirsi, farsi bello/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

smart

(smaːt) adjective

1. neat and well-dressed; fashionable. You're looking very smart today; a smart suit.

2. clever and quick in thought and action. We need a smart boy to help in the shop; I don't trust some of those smart salesmen.

3. brisk; sharp. She gave him a smart slap on the cheek.

verb

1. (of part of the body) to be affected by a sharp stinging feeling. The thick smoke made his eyes smart.

2. to feel annoyed, resentful etc after being insulted etc. He is still smarting from your remarks.

noun

the stinging feeling left by a blow or the resentful feeling left by an insult. He could still feel the smart of her slap/insult.

ˈsmarten (often with up) verb

to make or become smarter. He has smartened up a lot in appearance lately.

ˈsmartly adverb

The soldiers stood smartly to attention; She is always smartly dressed.

ˈsmartness noun

ˈsmart bomb noun

a bomb that is designed to locate the target and hit it accurately.

ˈsmart card noun

an advanced version of a credit card, with a computer memory, which can be used for such purposes as paying money and identification.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

I was interrupted no more in the business of preparing for the birthday dinner till it was time for me to smarten myself up for receiving the company.

View in context

Antiquity has a charm of its own, and to smarten it up would only damage it.

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All who knew Sancho Panza were astonished to hear him speak so elegantly, and did not know what to attribute it to unless it were that office and grave responsibility either smarten or stupefy men's wits.

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He occasionally made an attempt to smarten himself, and hum the fag-end of a tune; but his relapses into profound melancholy were only made the more impressive by the mockery of a hat exceedingly on one side, and a shirt-collar pulled up to his eyes.

View in context

Every night, the moment the young ladies have retired to rest, does Miss Twinkleton smarten up her curls a little, brighten up her eyes a little, and become a sprightlier Miss Twinkleton than the young ladies have ever seen.

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'If you could be persuaded to smarten yourself up a little, Frederick--'

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But I must smarten myself up before I take up my new post, for I am really like a tramp.

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So the old mother smartened up their clothes, and gave them a store of provisions for their journey, not forgetting to add a bottle of brandy.

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It had no advantage of situation; but had been very much smartened up by the present proprietor; and, such as it was, there could be no possibility of the two friends passing it without a slackened pace and observing eyes.Emma's remark was

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"They'll be announcing that the gentlemen are in the drawing room and we shall have to go down, and you have not smartened yourself up at all!"

View in context

The last article of the agreement being joyfully acceded to by both, we smartened Peepy up a little with the assistance of a few pins, some soap and water, and a hair- brush, and went out, bending our steps towards Newman Street, which was very near.

View in context

none at all, but she got herself up as though she were going on a visit; and not that she'd anything to do it with, she smartened herself up with nothing at all, she'd done her hair nicely, put on a clean collar of some sort, cuffs, and there she was, quite a different person, she was younger and better looking.