refine
to bring to a fine or a pure state; free from impurities: to refine metal, sugar, or petroleum.
to purify from what is coarse, vulgar, or debasing; make elegant or cultured.
to bring to a finer state or form by purifying.
to make more fine, subtle, or precise: to refine one's writing style.
to become pure: The silver is refining in the furnace.
to become more fine, elegant, or polished: His parents hope that his manners will refine as he gets older.
to make fine distinctions in thought or language.
refine on / upon to improve by inserting finer distinctions, superior elements, etc.: to refine on one's previous work.
Origin of refine
1Other words from refine
- re·fin·a·ble, adjective
- re·fin·er, noun
- pre·re·fine, verb (used with object), pre·re·fined, pre·re·fin·ing.
- self-re·fin·ing, adjective
- su·per·re·fine, verb (used with object), su·per·re·fined, su·per·re·fin·ing.
- un·re·fin·ing, adjective
Words Nearby refine
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use refine in a sentence
It makes us refine our arguments, and search for greater efficiencies, and do our jobs better.
A U.S. Thanksgiving—Family Style: Fractious but Friendly | Joshua DuBois | November 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTSaudi Arabia sits on top of a vast reservoir of high quality oil that is cheap to pump and cheap to refine.
Fracking is Pitting OPEC Members Against Each Other. It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Bunch of Cartel Members. | Megan McArdle | May 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut in the late 19th century, we learned how to refine grain and make white flour.
It’s the End of the World Unless We All Start Cooking | Rachel Khong | April 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTWe continue to research and refine abortion care while helping to break down barriers separating women from high-quality services.
I can continually refine the characters, their histories, and their damage, until they are exactly the right people I need.
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined: and I will try them as gold is tried.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Variousrefine and purge our earthy parts; But, oh, inflame and fire our hearts!
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886 | Ministry of EducationThey could refine gold and silver and make weapons of tempered copper, but they were entirely ignorant of the use of iron.
South American Fights and Fighters | Cyrus Townsend BradyDoes it refine the moral taste, or call into action the best feelings of our nature?
The Sheepfold and the Common, Vol. II (of 2) | Timothy EastThe letter to Bliss and the proofs were full of suggested changes that would refine and beautify the text.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete | Albert Bigelow Paine
British Dictionary definitions for refine
/ (rɪˈfaɪn) /
to make or become free from impurities, sediment, or other foreign matter; purify
(tr) to separate (a mixture) into pure constituents, as in an oil refinery
to make or become free from coarse characteristics; make or become elegant or polished
(tr often foll by out) to remove (something impure or extraneous)
(intr ; often foll by on or upon) to enlarge or improve (upon) by making subtle or fine distinctions
(tr) to make (language) more subtle or polished
Origin of refine
1Derived forms of refine
- refinable, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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