refine

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

Synonyms of refine

• improve
• enhance

Examples of refine in a Sentence

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

The furniture, all bespoke and manufactured by the owner in Surabaya, feels comfortably residential yet quite refined. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026

Dangote said East African countries have a sufficient market for the oil that will be refined locally. — Evelyne Musambi, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026

That scale allows Utopai Studios to develop its technology while testing and refining it inside real productions. — Partner Content, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026

To protect these costly vehicles and improve flight safety, Grace and her team are running supercomputer simulations to capture the exact mechanics of droplet breakup and refine current predictive models. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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