refine

1 of 2

verb

re·​fine ri-ˈfīn 

refined; refining

transitive verb

1

: to free (something, such as metal, sugar, or oil) from impurities or unwanted material

2

: to free from moral imperfection : elevate

3

: to improve or perfect by pruning or polishing

refine a poetic style

4

: to reduce in vigor or intensity

5

: to free from what is coarse, vulgar, or uncouth

intransitive verb

1

: to become pure or perfected

2

: to make improvement by introducing subtleties or distinctions

refiner noun

refiner

2 of 2

noun

re·​fin·​er

ri-ˈfī-nər

plural -s

: one that refines: such as

a

: one whose work is refining a specified thing

lard refiner

oil refiner

b

: a machine that gives the final mechanical treatment to paper stock

Synonyms of refine

Verb

• improve
• enhance

Examples of refine in a Sentence

Verb

The inventor of the machine spent years refining the design.

The class is meant to help you refine your writing style.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Apple will make beta versions of these OS updates available to developers today and will refine those betas over the next few months before releasing the final versions this fall. —Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 8 June 2026

Let the work breathe, then refine what rings true. —Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026

Future work will refine beamforming techniques, improve calibration procedures, and explore operational use cases for the antenna technology. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 June 2026

The legislation was meant to refine details of procedural matters and bring greater certainty, the authorities said. —ABC News, 8 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1582, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for refine

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• brucine
• byline

Kids Definition

refine

verb

re·​fine ri-ˈfīn 

refined; refining

1

: to come or bring to a pure state

refine sugar

2

: to make or become improved

3

: to free from what is vulgar

4

: to improve by introducing something that makes a small difference

refined upon the older methods

refiner noun

Medical Definition

refine

transitive verb

re·​fine ri-ˈfīn 

refined; refining

: to free (as sugar or oil) from impurities or unwanted material