burnish

1 of 2

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

burnish

2 of 2

noun

: luster, gloss

Synonyms of burnish

Verb

• rub
• polish
• smooth
• shine

Noun

• gleam
• glow
• shine
• glint
• glare
• sheen
• polish
• gloss
• luster

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

Verb

Meta calls the suit an unprecedented cash grab by prosecutors looking to burnish their populist credentials with a public eager to pin the blame for flagging test scores and exploding teen anguish on the wealthy tech titan. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Saudi Arabia has been accused of using sports investment to burnish its international image, a criticism that will remain part of the discussion around his legacy. — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Noun

Buchanan noted the hard bake, showing approval for the solid burnish on the outer layer. — Mario Cortez, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Mar. 2026

Fretting that the fabled bash was losing its luster, Guiducci ordered up some major burnishes. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for burnish

• furnish

Kids Definition

burnish

verb

bur·​nish

ˈbər-nish

: to make shiny especially by rubbing : polish

burnisher noun