To make sharp; sharpen (an edged or pointed tool or weapon) by rubbing it on a stone, or with an implement of stone or other material.To make sharp, keen, or eager; excite; stimulate: as, to whet the appetite.To rub; scratch.To prune or preen; trim.To cut with a knife.n. The act of sharp-ening by friction; hence, something that provokes or stimulates; especially, something that whets the appetite, as a dram.