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 style is tasteful and refined; silk scarves, leather loafers, and chic blazers are typical attire. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

Over two collection cycles, harvesters refined their process to ensure the material was free of contaminants such as dirt and stones. —Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 1 June 2026

This currently appears to be the best opportunity for widespread rainfall this week, although exact timing will continue to be refined over the next few days. —Nelly Carreño, CBS News, 1 June 2026

Instead, Kumar argued that knowing how and when to deploy tokenization strategically will become a discipline in its own right — one that individual teams will need to develop and refine based on their specific workflows and business goals. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 1 June 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