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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for furbishing
  1. polishing
  2. rubbing
  3. smoothing
Verb
  • Almost all of them seemed empty, like houses closed for the season, but a handful had signs of life—crewmen at the railings, polishing the brightwork, as if getting ready to leave.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • There may have been a time when hosting a holiday dinner meant pulling out every platter, polishing the silver, and making sure there were enough wine glasses for a small army.
    — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of polishing
Verb
  • Separating small equipment, personal accessories, and emergency supplies can also help reduce clutter and prevent belongings from rubbing against one another.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
  • After two consecutive championships and more than a decade of rubbing the rest of Major League Baseball’s noses in their extravagant wealth, the Los Angeles Dodgers were not going to be missed.
    — Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rubbing
Verb
  • Wireless, shaping and smoothing bra styles and underwear packs are also available.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The brand has also become a go-to for figure-flattering wardrobe staples that combine timeless designs and smoothing, comfortable fabrics that work with you rather than against you.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Oct. 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Furbishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/furbishing. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of asunder

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All