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.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Pure pumpkin purée is fine to serve to dogs and can even benefit a pooch’s skin, coat and digestive health, according to the AKC. —Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 25 Nov. 2023

There are plenty of fine tool brands out there, but Milwaukee power tools last longer and stand up to more abuse. —Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 25 Nov. 2023

Right now, all fashion jewelry is 30% off, and all fine jewelry is 25% off. —Jake Smith, Glamour, 24 Nov. 2023

Younger or healthier people might be fine with getting their vaccines earlier, in late August or September. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 23 Nov. 2023

Turning down invitations, if done gracefully, is fine. —Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023

Veen is far from the most expensive in the fine water category. —Martha Irvine and Dar Yasin, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2023

The flagship will sell the entire range of Gabriela Hearst men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections, fine merino wool and cashmere knitwear, footwear, accessories, and handbags. —Rachel Marlowe, Vogue, 13 Nov. 2023

Prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter has been linked to heart and lung diseases, respiratory infections, adverse birth outcomes, and more. —WIRED, 13 Nov. 2023

Adverb

Revelations about Kentaro and Cate’s pasts work fine to move the plot forward. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Nov. 2023

Geezers are doing fine and don’t need Social Security at current levels, the authors claim. —Roger Busler, WSJ, 16 Nov. 2023

Fresh cranberries will store fine in the fridge for a few weeks, as well. —Becky Krystal, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2023

Alan Ruck is doing fine after crashing his Rivian truck into a Los Angeles pizzeria on Tuesday. —Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023

That sort of staid sexiness worked fine for them, but next to Jagger Jones looked like an extra. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023

For casual outings, sneakers or flats with a denim jacket or cardigan will work just fine. —Emily Belfiore, Travel + Leisure, 4 Nov. 2023

Most of the world does fine without the need to bend time to their will two times a year—daylight saving time is a curiously Western phenomenon, largely practiced in Europe and North America (as well as parts of the Middle East, some Australian states, New Zealand, Chile, and Paraguay). —WIRED, 4 Nov. 2023

Photo: Shoko Takayasu/Bloomberg News The foreign-exchange market for the Japanese yen is working fine, the International Monetary Fund declared last weekend. —The Editorial Board, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2023

Verb

That’s how much Chopt was fined earlier this year, according to Westchester County health department records. —Ana Faguy, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023

In 2022, Kim Kardashian was fined more than $1.25 million for not disclosing that she was being paid to promote a cryptocurrency. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 27 Nov. 2023

California elections watchdogs have fined a former Orange County assemblyman $100,000 for using campaign funds to cover myriad personal costs — including family vacations, his children’s cellphone bills and $2,400 worth of clothing — in violation of state law. —Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023

Those convicted can be fined up to 500 Singapore dollars ($370), imprisoned for up to six months or both, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement yesterday. —NBC News, 7 Nov. 2023

And regulators have the power to fine anyone who abuses groundwater rules. —Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2023

January 13 - The Trump Organization is fined $1.6 million – the maximum possible penalty – by a New York judge for running a decade-long tax fraud scheme. —CNN, 13 Nov. 2023

Five years later, Mr. Milken pleaded guilty to securities fraud and was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $600 million. —Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023

During the trial, the judge has fined Trump $15,000 for violating a limited gag order barring attacks on court staff. —Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2023

Noun

Failure to meet these regulations can result in fines, legal issues, reputational damage and exclusion. —Koray Köse, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023

Massive sewage spill could cost L.A. city up to $21.7 million in fines April 20, 2023 Advertisement The spill was caused by a break in a main sewer line in Laguna Beach, officials said. —Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023

Yellow last year agreed to pay a $7 million fine to resolve the case. —Peter Eavis, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2023

If a parent were charged in a truancy case, the offense would be a misdemeanor that could carry jail time or a fine but would most likely involve probation on the condition of school attendance, Simms said. —Donna St. George, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023

As part of the plea agreement, Binance agreed to forfeit $2.51 billion and to pay a criminal fine of $1.805 billion. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023

But now the hefty fine at the heart of Binance's plea deal has put another big dent in the platform's finances. —Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 21 Nov. 2023

Zhao has also stepped down from his role running the company and agreed to pay a $150 million fine. —Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 21 Nov. 2023

Violations of the settlement could result in fines of $50,120 for each violation, the FTC said. —Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 16 Nov. 2023

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

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

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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