burnish

verb

bur·​nish ˈbər-nish 

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

Synonyms of burnish

• rub
• polish
• smooth
• shine

Examples of burnish in a Sentence

burnished the floor of the ballroom to a soft luster

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, like the other AI founders snapping up New York’s biggest and snazziest spaces, Gates may see a brick-and-mortar office as a way to burnish her company’s reputation or, in the language of Silicon Valley, court new investments. —Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 4 June 2026

What’s more, there appears to be some potential to make use of the broader ESPN portfolio, including the NFL Network, newly acquired as part of an investment in ESPN by the NFL, to help burnish WNFC. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 1 June 2026

The company is using partnerships with designers, such as Eckhaus Latta, launching on June 4, to burnish its image and attract younger customers. —Sharon Edelson, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026

The Tigers have only burnished their resume with impressive back-to-back playoff victories. —Martin Henderson, Oc Register, 20 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for burnish

• furnish

Kids Definition

burnish

verb

bur·​nish

ˈbər-nish

: to make shiny especially by rubbing : polish

burnisher noun