fine

adjective

ˈfīn 

finer; finest

1

a

: all right

That's fine with me.

b

: well or healthy : not sick or injured

feel fine

2

a

: superior in kind, quality, or appearance : excellent

did a fine job

a fine young man

has a fine mind

b

of weather : sunny and pleasant

a fine summer day

3

a(1)

: very thin in gauge or texture

fine thread

(2)

: not coarse

fine sand

(3)

: very small

fine print

(4)

: delicately made or proportioned

fine china

fine features

(5)

: thin sense 1a, keen

a knife with a fine edge

(6)

: 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 distinction

a fine point of law

There's a fine line between helping and intruding.

5

a

: ornate sense 1

fine writing

b

: marked by or affecting elegance or refinement

fine manners

fine dining

6

—used as an intensive

Let a soprano pour out her soul in a fine frenzy of enthusiasm …

—Time

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

Synonyms of fine

• dusty
• smooth

Examples of fine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the works are a signature fine dining Italian restaurant, and a subterranean bar with bowling lanes, games, and private karaoke rooms. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 June 2026

The United States at that time had still not determined who was responsible, but Trump said the two pilots were fine and no one had been injured. —Joey Garrison, USA Today, 10 June 2026

Merchants in fine suits rode in carriages or on sedan chairs while enslaved people lugging carts and crates wore dirty, threadbare clothing and could be publicly whipped or burned to death for misbehavior. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 9 June 2026

The campaign motto, Her Şey Çok Güzel Olacak (Everything will be fine) now sounded sad. —Kaya Genç, The Dial, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing fine

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

Rhymes for fine

• brine
• chine
• cline
• dine
• fein
• gwine
• hine
• jain
• klein
• kline
• line
• mine

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

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

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"

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

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