burnish

1 of 2

verb

bur·​nish ˈbər-nish How to pronounce burnish (audio)
burnished; burnishing; burnishes

transitive verb

1
a
: to make shiny or lustrous especially by rubbing
burnish leather
burnishing his sword
b
: polish sense 3
attempting to burnish her image
2
: to rub (a material) with a tool for compacting or smoothing or for turning an edge
pottery with a smooth burnished surface
burnisher noun
burnishing adjective or noun

burnish

2 of 2

noun

Examples of burnish in a Sentence

Verb burnished the floor of the ballroom to a soft luster Noun after some much-needed polishing, the silver tea set had a brilliant burnish
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The government there, in an effort to diversify its economy and burnish its reputation, has spent billions in recent years on professional sports teams and events. Eric Lipton, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024 During the last Trump administration, Newsom burnished his national profile by casting himself as a crusading foil to the then-president. Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
The storytelling has an unfussy classical burnish that feels nicely scaled to its time and place. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023 In William Faulkner’s Sanctuary, Temple Drake is taken to a brothel by a sinister bootlegger, but our version had no gothic burnish. Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Aug. 2022 See all Example Sentences for burnish 

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English burnischen, from Anglo-French burniss-, stem of burnir, alteration of Old French brunir, literally, to make brown, from brun

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1646, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of burnish was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near burnish

Cite this Entry

“Burnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burnish. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

burnish

verb
bur·​nish
ˈbər-nish
: to make shiny especially by rubbing : polish
burnisher noun

More from Merriam-Webster on burnish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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