whet
to sharpen or stimulate, especially an appetite or interest
Word origin: From Old English hwettan, to sharpen.
Whet in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing whet in a sentence.
The trailer was designed to whet audiences' curiosity about the sequel.
The opening chapter whets the reader's curiosity without revealing how the experiment ends.
Using “whet” well
To whet is to sharpen or stimulate, most often an appetite or interest, as in to whet the appetite. Do not confuse it with the homophone wet.
More GRE words starting with W
to speak or write evasively without committing to a clear position
playfully roguish or mischievously humorous
to indulge oneself excessively in a state or emotion
pale and sickly in appearance, suggesting weakness or weariness
a strong, restless desire to travel and explore the world
to decrease gradually in size, strength, or importance
marked by reckless cruelty or a deliberate disregard for restraint
to sing with trilling, modulated notes
Questions about “whet”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.