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Synonyms

polish up

British  

verb

  1. to make or become smooth and shiny by polishing

  2. to study or practise until adept at; improve

    polish up your spelling

    he's polishing up on his German

"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

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.

The summer months were a time to bulk up or slim down, to polish up the 3-point shot or develop a post-up game.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 19, 2025

The Cerritos firm’s sales representatives went through six three-hour training sessions to polish up their skills in professional presentation, proper attire, attending lunch meetings and client interactions.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2024

"We've got to polish up a couple of the areas where the game has sat on a knife-edge and we haven't been able to grab it," said McCullum.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2023

He didn't go back and polish up the verse.

From Salon • May 12, 2023

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Charles Chiltington was sitting in his father’s library, working with the college student who’d been hired to help him polish up his extra-credit essay.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

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