polish
1 Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to become smooth and glossy through polishing.
a flooring that polishes easily.
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Archaic. to become refined or elegant.
noun
verb phrase
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polish up to improve; refine.
She took lessons to polish up her speech.
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polish off
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to finish or dispose of quickly.
They polished off a gallon of ice cream between them.
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to subdue or get rid of someone.
The fighter polished off his opponent in the first round.
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adjective
noun
verb
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to make or become smooth and shiny by rubbing, esp with wax or an abrasive
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(tr) to make perfect or complete
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to make or become elegant or refined
noun
-
a finish or gloss
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the act of polishing or the condition of having been polished
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a substance used to produce a smooth and shiny, often protective surface
-
elegance or refinement, esp in style, manner, etc
adjective
noun
Related Words
Polish, gloss, luster, sheen refer to a smooth, shining, or bright surface from which light is reflected. Polish suggests the smooth, bright reflection often produced by friction: rubbed to a high polish. Gloss suggests a superficial, hard smoothness characteristic of lacquered, varnished, or enameled surfaces: a gloss on oilcloth, on paper. Luster denotes the characteristic quality of the light reflected from the surfaces of certain materials (pearls, silk, wax, freshly cut metals, etc.): a pearly luster. Sheen, sometimes poetical, suggests a glistening brightness such as that reflected from the surface of silk or velvet, or from furniture oiled and hand-polished: a rich velvety sheen.
Other Word Forms
- anti-Polish noun
- depolish verb (used with object)
- interpolish verb (used with object)
- non-Polish adjective
- overpolish verb (used with object)
- polishable adjective
- polisher noun
- pre-Polish adjective
- prepolish noun
- pro-Polish adjective
- pseudo-Polish adjective
- repolish verb
Etymology
Origin of polish1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English polishen, from Middle French poliss-, long stem of polir, from Latin polīre “to polish”; -ish 2
Origin of Polish2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Instead, they portrayed Dr. Kane as selflessly helping a young girl rise from her sordid profession by providing a proper education—polishing his image as a kind of super-generous superhero.
From Literature
The ingots are cut into wafers with a wire saw, which move through multiple machines to be polished, tested and boxed up so they can be sent to the next stage of the supply chain.
In front of it was a spinning wheel, big and shiny, the wood freshly carved and polished.
From Literature
The ingots are cut into wafers, polished and placed into special shipping containers that will carry them throughout the chip supply chain so their delicate properties aren’t ruined.
“Enter through a private courtyard into high ceilings infused with natural light, walls of glass and polished terrazzo floors,” the description continues.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
