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
Derived Forms
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prerefineverb (used with object)
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refinernoun
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self-refiningadjective
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refinableadjective
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unrefiningadjective
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superrefineverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has refinedperfect 3rd person singular
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have refinedperfect
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are refiningprogressive
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am refiningprogressive 1st person singular
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refiningparticiple
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refinessingular 3rd person
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has been refiningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is refiningprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been refiningperfect progressive
Past
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had refinedperfect
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were refiningprogressive plural
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was refiningprogressive singular
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refinedparticiple
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refinedsimple
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had been refiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of refine
Explanation
When you refine something, you make it better. Whether it's sugar or an essay, refining it requires fixing its flaws. You may think you created a masterpiece on the first try. But there's always room to refine. More than just working out the kinks, refining something means you're going to fine tune it, hone it to perfection, and make it more precise. In scientific terms, to refine something means to reduce it down to a pure state. At the dinner table, you can please grandma by refining your manners.
Vocabulary lists containing refine
Hatchet
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Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans
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"On Being Brought from Africa to America" by Phillis Wheatley
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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 aim is to refine how we interpret the past while finding new ways on how to prevent dental disease today.
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
The space agency confirmed that the government is “soliciting feedback from industry partners to refine and clarify” the logistics before formally requesting proposals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
As for circuit safety, the FIA and F1 are constantly working to improve and refine this; changes are made every year in one way or another.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
Google is working to establish search as the entry point to its AI features, and users can now interact with multimodal inputs and AI-powered suggestions to refine their queries.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
Indeed, scholars at Jundi Shapur invented new and better ways to refine cane into sugar.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
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.
