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
  • Some jobs that previously relied on hand craftsmanship but can now be automated made the top 10, including patternmakers and grinding and polishing workers.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis has spent the last decade successfully polishing its image without becoming a major global name.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of polishing
Verb
  • Rubbing Alcohol Head to the drug store for a bottle of 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to clean windows.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The redyed fabrics showed uniform color uptake and washing and rubbing fastness comparable to the reference fabric, according to the study.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of rubbing
Verb
  • That said, the evolution aspect of the formula is in its skin-loving ingredients like peptides, niacinamide, and microgreens for skin-smoothing and oil-balancing benefits.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The lightweight formula pairs olive, argan, jojoba, sunflower, and safflower oils with smoothing silicones to calm frizz and boost shine.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 28 Aug. 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 4 Sep. 2026.

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