fine

1 of 6

adjective

ˈfīn 

finer; finest

1

a

: all right

that's fine with me

b

: well or healthy : not sick or injured

feel fine

2

: superior in kind, quality, or appearance : excellent

a fine job

a fine day

fine wines

3

a(1)

: very thin in gauge or texture

fine thread

(2)

: not coarse

fine sand

(3)

: very small

fine print

(4)

: keen

a knife with a fine edge

(5)

: very precise or accurate

a fine adjustment

trying to be too fine with his pitches

b

: physically trained or hardened close to the limit of efficiency

—used of an athlete or animal

4

: delicate, subtle, or sensitive in quality, perception, or discrimination

a fine distinction

5

a

: ornate sense 1

fine writing

b

: marked by or affecting elegance or refinement

fine manners

6

—used as an intensive

the leader, in a fine frenzy, beheaded one of his wives

—Brian Crozier

7

a

: free from impurity

b

of a metal : having a stated proportion of pure metal in the composition expressed in parts per thousand

a gold coin .9166 fine

fineness

ˈfīn-nəs 

noun

fine

2 of 6

adverb

1

: finely: such as

a

: very well

b

: all right

2

: with a very narrow margin of time or space

she had not intended to cut her escape so fine

—Melinda Beck et al.

fine

3 of 6

noun (1)

1

a

: a sum imposed as punishment for an offense

The motorist had to pay a fine for speeding.

b

: a forfeiture or penalty paid to an injured party in a civil action

2

: a compromise of a fictitious suit used as a form of conveyance of lands

3

obsolete : end, conclusion

fine

4 of 6

verb (1)

fined; fining

transitive verb

: to impose a fine on : punish by a fine

fine

5 of 6

verb (2)

fined; fining

transitive verb

1

: purify, clarify

fine and filter wine

2

: to make finer in quality or size

intransitive verb

1

: to become pure or clear

the ale will fine

2

: to become smaller in lines or proportions

fine

6 of 6

noun (2)

fi·​ne ˈfē-(ˌ)nā 

: end

—used as a direction in music to mark the closing point after a repeat

Phrases

in fine

: in short

Synonyms

Adjective

• dusty
• floury
• powdery

Adverb

• acceptably
• adequately
• all right
• alright
• creditably
• decently
• good
• middlingly
• nicely
• OK
• okay
• passably
• respectably
• satisfactorily
• serviceably
• so-so
• sufficiently
• tolerably
• well

Noun (1)

• damages
• forfeit
• forfeiture
• mulct
• penalty

Verb (1)

• assess
• charge
• exact
• impose
• lay
• levy
• put

Verb (2)

• clarify
• clear
• distill
• distil
• filter
• garble
• purify

Examples of fine in a Sentence

Adjective

“Is there anything wrong?” “No, everything's fine.”

The house looks fine to me.

I think that's a fine idea.

You did a fine job.

The house is in fine shape.

This is a fine example of what can go wrong when one person is given too much power.

He's a fine young man.

“Did you hurt yourself?” “No, I'm fine.”

Adverb

She did fine on the test.

My mother is doing fine, thank you.

This'll do fine for now.

She talks and walks so fine, just like a great lady.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Reducing just 5 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) of fine particle pollution can decrease the risk of low birthweight by 15%. —Jeremy Ney, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024

Inside, nozzles on the ceiling emit a fine mist that dampens the trash, and a ventilation system deodorizes the air using a kind of military-grade Febreze. —Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

According to the Pure Michigan website, Beaver Island is one of the finest dark-sky gazing locations in the country; a natural environment of sand dunes, beaches and wetlands. —Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024

Its dimmer light encourages the pupil to dilate, leaving its cells vulnerable to ultraviolet light in the precise place where the eye discerns fine detail in a beautiful landscape or face. —Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024

But experts say there's no need to panic — the vast majority of eclipse viewers are probably fine. —Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024

The Peninsula Istanbul opened a little over one year ago on what is easily the finest stretch of land on the Karaköy side of the Bosphorus. —Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2024

Your dogs and cats will be fine Don't worry, your dog and/or cat will likely be oblivious to the eclipse, according to Pasco, a science education company. —Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024

In a test call, my voice sounded clear and the mic did a fine job of mitigating background noise. —PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024

Adverb

Dune ended up doing just fine on its opening, hitting $82.5 million domestically. —Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2024

Good artists, like good comedians, do just fine without the safety net of explication. —Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024

On a midafternoon Friday in London, this involves much ducking and diving through crowds, which suits Scott just fine. —Zing Tsjeng, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024

Oil will work just fine, but schmaltz makes a world of difference. —Julia Levy, Southern Living, 28 Mar. 2024

An inexperienced cook will do just fine, though the prep work (peeling and chopping) might take longer. —PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024

Fortunately, the new Polaroid makes 600 film manufactured this decade that will work just fine. —Eric Ravenscraft, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2024

Fewer, punchy statements might do the job just fine. —Jodie Cook, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

For heavier, all-over coverage, your fingers work just fine for blending, but the brand recommends the small, dense Shadow Brush for more precise coverage. —Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024

Verb

When the plane landed in Australia, the man was escorted off by police and fined. —Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2024

But the mailers, along with other materials the district distributed, would lead the county prosecutor’s office to fine the superintendent and the district’s spokesperson, accusing them of violating election law by using taxpayer money to advocate for the bond measure. —Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2024

Brosnan was fined $500 for this infraction and ordered to donate $1,000 to Yellowstone Forever, a nonprofit organization. —Josh Robbins, National Review, 5 Apr. 2024

If a rider refuses to do so, they can be arrested and fined up to $100. —Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024

Earlier this month, the European Union fined Apple $2 billion for shutting out rival music services on the iPhone. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2024

The Department of Labor has fined a Tennessee parts supplier for John Deere, Toro and Yamaha with illegally employing children as young as 14 in dangerous jobs. —Keenan Thomas, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024

Police and a city enforcer showed up at the church to fine the pastor, suit says The city of San Luis had long supported the church's food ministry, but that all changed in 2022 with the election of a Mayor Riedel, according to the lawsuit. —Juliana Kim, NPR, 24 Mar. 2024

But violators can only be fined up to $25 if they’re pulled over for another offense. —John Raby, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2024

Noun

He was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, had to participate in a firearms safety class, complete 24 hours of community service and not use drugs or alcohol. —Christina Maxouris, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024

The consequences of an election fraud conviction, a Class I felony, may be a fine of up to $10,000, prison time for up to three and a half years, or both, under Wisconsin state law. —Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2024

Some states automatically restore a person's voting rights after incarceration; some restore them after a full sentence is complete, which encompasses parole and fines as well; and others require a waiting period or some sort of action on the part of those convicted to get re-registered. —Miles Parks, NPR, 14 Apr. 2024

Falsifying records in the first degree is subject to up to four years in prison, and a five-thousand-dollar fine. —Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024

Failing to register carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 12 Apr. 2024

Kansas state law classifies adultery as a class C misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of up to a month in jail and/or a fine. —Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, for example, was hit with $450 million in fines for the 2019 model year. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024

In exchange, prosecutors contend, Polit made government fines go away and allow the engineering firm to continue working in Ecuador. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English fin, fyne "of choice quality, superior, admirable, free from impurity, delicate," borrowed from Anglo-French fin, going back to Gallo-Romance *fīnus "extreme, ultimate," adjective derivative of Latin fīnis "boundary, limit, ending" — more at final entry 1

Adverb

Middle English fyne, derivative of fin, fyne fine entry 1

Noun (1)

Middle English fin, fyne "end, conclusion, final legal settlement relating to alienation of property, fee paid to complete a legal conveyance, money paid in lieu of judicial punishment," borrowed from Anglo-French fin, going back to Latin fīnis "boundary, limit, terminal point, ending" (Medieval Latin also, "legal settlement, agreement involving payment, payment in lieu of punishment") — more at final entry 1

Verb (1)

in part derivative of fine entry 3, in part continuing Middle English finen "to pay a fine," borrowed from Anglo-French finer "to pay as a fine, make a payment," verbal derivative of fin fine entry 3

Verb (2)

Middle English finen, derivative of fin, fyne fine entry 1

Noun (2)

borrowed from Italian, going back to Latin fīnis "boundary, limit, ending" — more at final entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7a

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb (1)

circa 1513, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1740, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fine

• chance would be a fine thing
• cut it fine
• fine and dandy
• fine/okay by me
• fine one to talk
• fine line
• fine art
• fine-tooth comb
• fine print
• fine structure
• fine-tune
• not to put too fine a point on it
• go over/through (something) with a fine-tooth comb
• fine-tuned
• to good/great/fine/outstanding effect
• in fine fettle
• in fine

Kids Definition

fine

1 of 5 noun

ˈfīn 

: a sum of money to be paid as a punishment

fine

2 of 5 verb

fined; fining

: to punish by a fine

fine

3 of 5 adjective

finer; finest

1

: free from impurity

2

a

: not thick, coarse, or dull

fine thread

fine sand

b

: small entry 1 sense 1

fine print

c

: done with extreme care and accuracy

fine measurement

3

: subtle sense 1b

a fine distinction

4

: excellent in quality or appearance

a fine spring day

5

: to one's liking : agreeable

that's fine with me

6

: very well

feel fine

finely adverb

fineness

ˈfīn-nəs 

noun

fine

4 of 5 adverb

1

: in a fine manner

2

: very well

did fine on the test

I liked it fine

fine

5 of 5 noun

fi·​ne

ˈfē-(ˌ)nā

: end entry 1 sense 1b

—used as a direction in music to mark the closing point after a repeat

Etymology

Noun

from earlier fine "a final agreement to settle a lawsuit," from Middle English fine "end, conclusion," from early French fin (same meaning), from Latin finis "end, limit" — related to final

Adjective

Middle English fin "pure, brought to perfection," from early French fin (same meaning), from Latin finis (noun) "end, limit" as in finis honorum "the height of honor, the highest honor"

Noun

Italian, from Latin finis "end, limit"

Medical Definition

fine

adjective

ˈfīn 

finer; finest

of bodily tremors

: of slight excursion

Legal Definition

fine

1 of 2 noun

1

: a sum imposed as punishment for an offense compare restitution

2

: a forfeiture or penalty paid to an injured party in a civil action

fine

2 of 2 transitive verb

fined; fining

: to impose a fine on : punish by fine

Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French fin, fine & Medieval Latin finis end, boundary, agreement, payment for release or privilege, monetary penalty, from Latin finis end, boundary