furbishing

verb

present participle of furbish
as in polishing
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure the warrior furbished his sword and shield so that they glinted in the sunlight

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for furbishing
  1. polishing
  2. rubbing
  3. smoothing
Verb
  • Not deliberately misleading them—more like polishing things up.
    — Dennis Kozak, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Interest—from both visitors and islanders—is gently shifting away from polishing playboy yachts or appeasing the decadent whims of retirees, to something, well, more real.
    — Jonnie Bayfield, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 July 2026
Definition of polishing
Verb
  • Schmitt was visibly shaken up and could be seen rubbing his left knee in discomfort.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
  • About 30 seconds under running water, while gently rubbing the produce with your hands, does far more than a passive soak.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 27 July 2026
Definition of rubbing
Verb
  • Energy storage systems such as batteries play a pivotal role in smoothing renewable intermittency by absorbing excess solar and wind generation and dispatching it when production dips.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 25 July 2026
  • At less than $30 apiece, the kit has two smoothing lotion bars and a chic bamboo canister for storage.
    — Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 25 July 2026
Definition of smoothing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

furbishes
furbishing
furies
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Cite this Entry

“Furbishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/furbishing. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on furbishing

Nglish: Translation of furbishing for Spanish Speakers

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