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fine
1[ fahyn ]
adjective
- of superior or best quality; of high or highest grade:
fine wine.
Synonyms: select, perfect, consummate, finished
Antonyms: inferior
- choice, excellent, or admirable:
a fine painting.
- satisfactory or acceptable; okay: The story is fine for a class assignment but not good enough to publish in the school paper.
It's fine with me if you don't want to go.
The story is fine for a class assignment but not good enough to publish in the school paper.
- consisting of minute particles:
fine sand;
a fine purée.
- very thin or slender:
fine thread.
- keen or sharp, as a tool:
Is the knife fine enough to carve well?
Synonyms: acute
- delicate in texture; filmy:
fine cotton fabric.
- delicately fashioned:
fine tracery.
- highly skilled or accomplished:
a fine musician.
- trained to the maximum degree, as an athlete.
- characterized by or affecting refinement or elegance:
a fine lady.
- polished or refined:
fine manners.
- affectedly ornate or elegant:
A style so fine repels the average reader.
- delicate or subtle:
a fine distinction.
- bright and clear:
a fine day;
fine skin.
In spite of his recent illness, he looks fine.
- showy or smart; elegant in appearance:
a bird of fine plumage.
- good-looking or handsome:
a fine young man.
- (of a precious metal or its alloy) free from impurities or containing a large amount of pure metal:
fine gold; Sterling silver is 92.5 percent fine.
- (used ironically or as an intensifier) terrible or unacceptable: Not inviting me—that’s a fine way to treat a friend!
It’s a fine mess you’ve got us into!
Not inviting me—that’s a fine way to treat a friend!
adverb
- Informal. in an excellent manner; very well:
She's now free of pain and can walk just fine.
- Informal. satisfactorily; acceptably:
I did fine but not great on my final exams.
- very small:
She writes so fine I can hardly read it.
- Billiards, Pool. in such a way that the driven ball barely touches the object ball in passing.
- Nautical. as efficiently close as possible into the wind, just short of pinching:
sailing fine.
verb (used without object)
- to become fine or finer, as by refining.
- to become less, as in size or proportions; reduce; diminish (often followed by down ):
The plumpness fines down with exercise.
verb (used with object)
- to make fine or finer, especially by refining or pulverizing.
- to reduce the size or proportions of (often used with down or away ):
to fine down the heavy features; to fine away superfluous matter in a design.
- to clarify (wines or spirits) by filtration.
noun
- fines,
- Mining. crushed ore sufficiently fine to pass through a given screen. Compare short ( def 29e ).
- Agriculture. the fine bits of corn kernel knocked off during handling of the grain.
fine
2[ fahyn ]
noun
- a sum of money imposed as a penalty for an offense or dereliction:
a parking fine.
- Law. a fee paid by a feudal tenant to the landlord, as on the renewal of tenure.
- English Law. (formerly) a conveyance of land through decree of a court, based upon a simulated lawsuit.
- Archaic. a penalty of any kind.
verb (used with object)
- to subject to a fine or pecuniary penalty; punish by a fine:
The judge fined him and released him on parole.
fine
3[ fee-ney ]
noun
- the end of a repeated section, whether da capo or dal segno.
- the end of a composition that consists of several movements.
fine
4[ feen ]
noun
- ordinary French brandy, usually with no indication of the maker's name or location.
fine
1/ faɪn /
adjective
- excellent or choice in quality; very good of its kind
a fine speech
- superior in skill, ability, or accomplishment
a fine violinist
- (of weather) clear and dry
- enjoyable or satisfying
a fine time
- informal.postpositive quite well; in satisfactory health
I feel fine
- satisfactory; acceptable
that's fine by me
- of delicate composition or careful workmanship
fine crystal
- (of precious metals) pure or having a high or specified degree of purity
fine silver
gold 98 per cent fine
- subtle in perception; discriminating
a fine eye for antique brasses
- abstruse or subtle
a fine point in argument
- very thin or slender
fine hair
- very small
fine print
fine dust
- (of edges, blades, etc) sharp; keen
- ornate, showy, or smart
- good-looking; handsome
a fine young woman
- polished, elegant, or refined
a fine gentleman
- morally upright and commendable
a fine man
- cricket (of a fielding position) oblique to and behind the wicket
fine leg
- informal.prenominal disappointing or terrible
a fine mess
adverb
- informal.quite well; all right
that suits me fine
- a nonstandard word for finely
- billiards snooker (of a stroke on the cue ball) so as to merely brush the object ball
- cut it fineto allow little margin of time, space, etc
verb
- to make or become finer; refine
- often foll bydown or away to make or become smaller
- tr to clarify (wine, etc) by adding finings
- tr billiards snooker to hit (a cue ball) fine
- informal.intrfoll byup (of the weather) to become fine
fine
2/ faɪn /
noun
- a certain amount of money exacted as a penalty
a parking fine
- a payment made by a tenant at the start of his tenancy to reduce his subsequent rent; premium
- feudal law a sum of money paid by a man to his lord, esp for the privilege of transferring his land to another
- a method of transferring land in England by bringing a fictitious law suit: abolished 1833
- in fine
- in short; briefly
- in conclusion; finally
verb
- tr to impose a fine on
fine
3/ fin /
noun
- brandy of ordinary quality
fine
4/ ˈfiːneɪ /
noun
- the point at which a piece is to end, usually after a da capo or dal segno
- an ending or finale
Word History and Origins
Origin of fine1
Origin of fine2
Origin of fine3
Origin of fine4
Word History and Origins
Origin of fine1
Origin of fine2
Origin of fine3
Origin of fine4
Idioms and Phrases
- cut fine, to calculate precisely, especially without allowing for possible error or accident:
To finish in ten minutes is to cut it too fine.
- in fine,
- in short; briefly.
- in conclusion; finally:
It was, in fine, a fitting end to the story.
More idioms and phrases containing fine
- come on in (the water's fine)
- cut it fine
- in fine feather
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Target was fined for not enforcing the county’s mask law and citations were mailed to the protesters, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
Now, for most general purposes, stock tires will work fine, especially if you have a winch.
The state’s environmental regulators are seen as friendly to coal companies, so the reduced fines are in keeping with prior actions.
Repeating the process, he smoothed the lattice’s fine details, zooming out to grok the system’s overall behavior.
So let’s see what happens, but I think it’s going to work out fine.
As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
Hey, whatever keeps those lecherous freaks from sexually assaulting humans is fine by us.
There are instances in which private rehoming works out fine and is the best solution for the struggling family and the children.
That's fine—excellent TV shows are snubbed all the time by these awards organizations.
The exhibit also includes examples of designers borrowing from fine art, as Yves Saint Laurent did with his Mondrian dress.
A small book, bound in full purple calf, lay half hidden in a nest of fine tissue paper on the dressing-table.
A flash of surprise and pleasure lit the fine eyes of the haughty beauty perched up there on the palace wall.
Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour, and make a fat offering, and then give place to the physician.
His strong legs and his broad, spade-like feet helped to make him a fine swimmer.
When the days were fine, Jean in his basket assisted at the dramatic performance in the market-place.
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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.
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