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
-
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:
These workers are developing silicosis, a condition in which microscopic silica dust contained in the stone slabs they grind and polish is cutting up the inside of their lungs until the organs fail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Kavuma's philosophy is that there is so much talent in the ghetto, you just have to polish it.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
That put polish on Karp’s more emotional TV appearance the week before, when he declared that “something has gone completely wrong” in the relationship between AI labs and their customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
In interviews and on the stump, she conveys both polish and authenticity, and she has garnered a slew of endorsements from unions and progressive organizations like the Teamsters and Emily’s List.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
She goes into her overnight bag and pulls out the red nail polish Kay let us borrow.
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
Polish and German soldiers worked for five weeks at the frontier to dig trenches, lay barbed wire and place long lines of concrete barriers known as "hedgehogs" across the landscape.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
From October, French and Polish soldiers, along with elements of the US Army and British groups, will also take part in border-securing activities, the generals said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
A statue of the Virgin Mary believed to be Europe's tallest has been formally unveiled in a small Polish village.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
In the second set, Rybakina, 27, was unable to break world number eight Swiatek, and the Polish player clinched her 26th career title in one hour and 15 minutes.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Jewish Ordners were not as understanding as you’d think, being under the thumb of the Gestapo, and even the Polish police were watching closely.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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
Commercial nail polishes were used to test additives for formula compatibility and electrical performance.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026
The phrase is self-explanatory, but Ms. Farr is insistent, so in her reading the woman polishes silver “until it gleamed.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
She sings as she puts away the dishes, stacks the pots and pans beneath the sink, polishes the furniture.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
It rattles against the hard edges of your brain until it gets polished and smooth.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
I think he’s pretty polished about that kind of stuff.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
By the time individual investors get access, the story has been polished, excitement is peaking, and the private market valuation has been pushed far higher than what the public market will tolerate.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
McCarthy's early score in the second half brought Ireland back to within 14 points but they failed to build further momentum before McKenzie polished off a fine All Blacks move.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
A fair-haired woman stood at the door, draped in the polished jet and black lace of a mourner.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Under this law, employers are required to take steps to protect workers, such as providing protective respirators and using water to suppress dust, when employees are cutting, grinding or polishing slabs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
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
If you want her to pay for the French polishing, you have an extra incentive to reopen this line of communication — and the wound.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
My house chores included polishing my dad’s shoes and his 1956 Oldsmobile Super 88.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Everett spent months preparing—researching the battle in journalistic detail, which amid the fog of war was no mean task, then polishing and memorizing his speech.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
