refine
Americanverb (used with object)
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to bring to a fine or a pure state; free from impurities.
to refine metal, sugar, or petroleum.
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to purify from what is coarse, vulgar, or debasing; make elegant or cultured.
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to bring to a finer state or form by purifying.
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to make more fine, subtle, or precise.
to refine one's writing style.
verb (used without object)
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to become pure.
The silver is refining in the furnace.
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to become more fine, elegant, or polished.
His parents hope that his manners will refine as he gets older.
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to make fine distinctions in thought or language.
verb phrase
verb
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to make or become free from impurities, sediment, or other foreign matter; purify
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(tr) to separate (a mixture) into pure constituents, as in an oil refinery
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to make or become free from coarse characteristics; make or become elegant or polished
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to remove (something impure or extraneous)
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(intr; often foll by on or upon) to enlarge or improve (upon) by making subtle or fine distinctions
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(tr) to make (language) more subtle or polished
Other Word Forms
- prerefine verb (used with object)
- refinable adjective
- refiner noun
- self-refining adjective
- superrefine verb (used with object)
- unrefining adjective
Etymology
Origin of refine
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 research team plans to further refine the model by adding more atmospheric and oceanic factors, including air temperature and sea level pressure.
From Science Daily
She would create multiple pictures of the same or similar subjects, refining her craft through painstaking repetition on her modest-sized canvases.
From BBC
It’s not a refined, rehearsed style that typically has been held up as the artistic ideal in the sport.
From Los Angeles Times
The Democratic Republic of Congo produced 70% of the world's supply of cobalt in 2021, yet 90% of this went to China to be refined, according to research body the Faraday Institution.
From BBC
Looking ahead, the team plans to refine the technology for communication-focused applications.
From Science Daily
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.
