shoeshine

[ shoo-shahyn ]

/ ˈʃuˌʃaɪn /

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noun

an act or instance of cleaning and polishing a pair of shoes.

the surface of a polished shoe or shoes.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of shoeshine

shoe + shine¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shoeshine in a sentence

You with your pretty man suit and your hair and finger-nails polished like a shoe-shine.
Just Around the Corner|Fannie Hurst
Of course one has to clean one's own boots, unless one is near a "Shoe-shine Parlour" in some large town.
Across the Prairie in a Motor Caravan|Frances Halton Eva Hasell
More than likely, when he comes to pay you your wages, he'll take out the price of a shoe shine.
Randy of the River|Horatio Alger Jr.
She has dressed in a red sweater and plied her trade, for a day, as a shoe-shine boy.
An Ocean Tramp|William McFee

"I must get a shoe shine," said Tavia, as they stepped on the platform of the big depot.
Dorothy Dale's Camping Days|Margaret Penrose

British Dictionary definitions for shoeshine

shoeshine

/ (ˈʃuːˌʃaɪn) /

noun

the act or an instance of polishing a pair of shoes

the appearance or shiny surface of polished shoes

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