polish
verb (used with object)
to make smooth and glossy, especially by rubbing or friction.
polish
1 American
[pol-ish]
/ ˈpɒl ɪʃ /
verb (used with object)
-
polishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
polished,
past participle, past
-
polishing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
polishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
polished,
past participle, past
-
polishing
present participle
-
to become smooth and glossy through polishing.
a flooring that polishes easily.
-
Archaic. to become refined or elegant.
noun
-
polishes
plural
verb phrase
-
polish up to improve; refine.
She took lessons to polish up her speech.
-
polish off
-
to finish or dispose of quickly.
They polished off a gallon of ice cream between them.
-
to subdue or get rid of someone.
The fighter polished off his opponent in the first round.
-
Polish
2
American
[poh-lish]
/ ˈpoʊ lɪʃ /
adjective
noun
polish
1
British
/ ˈpɒlɪʃ /
verb
-
to make or become smooth and shiny by rubbing, esp with wax or an abrasive
-
(tr) to make perfect or complete
-
to make or become elegant or refined
noun
-
a finish or gloss
-
the act of polishing or the condition of having been polished
-
a substance used to produce a smooth and shiny, often protective surface
-
elegance or refinement, esp in style, manner, etc
Polish
2
British
/ ˈpəʊlɪʃ /
adjective
noun
polish
Idioms
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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anti-Polishnoun
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polishernoun
-
prepolishnoun
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repolishverb
-
depolishverb (used with object)
-
interpolishverb (used with object)
-
overpolishverb (used with object)
-
non-Polishadjective
-
polishableadjective
-
pre-Polishadjective
-
pro-Polishadjective
-
pseudo-Polishadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
polishsimple
-
polishessimple
-
have polishedperfect
-
has polishedperfect
-
am polishingprogressive
-
are polishingprogressive
-
is polishingprogressive
-
have been polishingperfect progressive
-
has been polishingperfect progressive
Past
-
polishedsimple
-
had polishedperfect
-
was polishingprogressive
-
were polishingprogressive
-
had been polishingperfect progressive
Future
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”; see -ish 2
Origin of Polish2
Explanation
When you polish something, you rub and buff it until it shines. You might need to polish your reading glasses from time to time. You might polish your wooden coffee table with a cloth or polish beach stones until they gleam. Polish is also a noun, meaning either the spray you use to shine up your furniture or the shininess itself: "The polish on that desk is unbelievable — I can almost see my reflection in it!" There is also a figurative kind of polish, a sort of elegance or clarity you might see in well-edited writing or a fashionable woman sliding into a taxi.
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.
See Examples For:
Researchers polish a section of pottery until it is roughly half the width of a human hair, allowing light from a polarizing microscope to pass through it.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
Then bring AI back in, to review and polish what you have put together, and check over the final version yourself one last time before hitting submit.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
"She hasn't abandoned the polish or aspiration that you expect from a luxury brand, but she has added personality," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
“There was no polish or anything,” Robinson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
The air smelled of furniture polish and long-ago meals seasoned with garlic and onions.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
That underlines a danger in seeking outreach to Moscow, said Slawomir Debski, a former adviser to the Polish government and a visiting professor of strategy and international relations at the College of Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Heading into talks early Wednesday, Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski urged for a lowering of trade barriers.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
But in the Baltic territories ruled by Germany’s Gen. Paul von Hindenburg, the national development of Belarusians, Latvians and Lithuanians was encouraged to weaken Polish influence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
When Russia has launched attacks on the western part of that country, that has also triggered air alerts in this Polish region.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
“It’s related to the Polish machine, right? The bomba?”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
In the jewellery workshop, quieter than the Royal Mint's coin-pressing halls where he used to work, 63-year-old John Powell carefully polishes a ring.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
One especially useful touch for travelers: the spa offers quick-drying traditional polishes, making it easier to get back to sightseeing without worrying about smudges.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
At one point, for example, she reads a passage in which a woman polishes silver “until it gleamed.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
A software program then uses these dimensions and the desired critical tolerances to guide the finishing device, which effectively polishes out any irregularities in the part.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 2024
He takes off his thick-rimmed glasses, fitted by a Calcutta optometrist, polishes the lenses with the cotton handkerchief he always keeps in his pocket, A for Ashoke embroidered by his mother in light blue thread.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Los Angeles polished it off by showing how deep its defense is beyond Garrett, this offseason’s high-profile trade acquisition, and Donald, who came out of retirement to chase another ring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
A green velvet sofa that the actress brought with her from a previous home adds a splash of color to the otherwise polished space.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
“The star will cure and will be polished on Friday for fans to enjoy,” Martinez said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
There’s Olive, 12, from Charlotte, North Carolina, whose goal is to sell 8,000 boxes and who already possesses the polished ease of someone who understands how to speak to an audience.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
The table in front of us is a polished brown, which Danso has draped with a nice white cloth.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
When it offered him half a song, he said, “Good enough” — without even bothering to run it through a few rounds of polishing.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
My house chores included polishing my dad’s shoes and his 1956 Oldsmobile Super 88.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Caligiuri now prefers devouring barbeque to polishing off opposing forwards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Zidane had his pick of top clubs when leaving Bordeaux in summer 1996, opting for Turin where Juventus were polishing a freshly-collected Champions League trophy.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Methuselah breathed upon his glasses, polishing them on his fur.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
