japanning

verb

present participle of japan
as in varnishing

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for japanning
  1. varnishing
  2. coating
  3. polishing
  4. burnishing
  5. rubbing
  6. glossing
  7. shining
  8. buffing
Verb
  • Like most ’80s metal heroes who briefly lost their way in the late ’90s, Megadeth have spent the 21st century varnishing their legacy with what’s tried and true, delivering eight LPs since 2001 that all basically sound the same.
    — Eli Enis, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026
Definition of varnishing
Verb
  • Electron beams replace ovens Ateios says the process enables coating speeds of 30 meters per minute across a 300-millimeter-wide web.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Locals and government officials were clearing debris and shoveling thick mud coating much of the town.
    — Eugene Garcia, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of coating
Verb
  • The Duchess of Edinburgh even got hands-on experience shaping and polishing a quartz gemstone.
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Before Bay Area readers start polishing their debate trophies, remember these studies are conversation starters, not final verdicts.
    — James Ward, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of polishing
Verb
  • And at a moment when the US is antagonizing allies and has yet to find a way to end its war on Iran that’s destabilizing the global economy, Xi has been burnishing China’s image as a responsible and dependable global leader.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The Obama Presidential Center opening June 18 also bodes well for tourism, both in burnishing the city’s image and creating a new attraction to draw domestic and international visitors to Chicago, Reynolds said.
    — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026
Definition of burnishing
Verb
  • The bigger claim making the rounds, that a few minutes of face rubbing can quiet your body’s stress response, is where dermatologists urge a little caution.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In this case, there’s no swiping or rubbing at all—just let the pads sit and soak in for a few minutes before gently patting in the excess.
    — Jenny Jin, Glamour, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of rubbing
Verb
  • The easy-to-use glossing treatment, which should be applied to damp hair and followed by a blow dryer to activate the frizz-fighting alpha acids, is a semi-permanent smoothing spray that basically creates a water-resistant shield to prevent flyaways—even in the most humid of places.
    — Eva Thomas, InStyle, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Critchley, glossing Julian of Norwich, draws a distinction between seeing and seeing through creation, but this is a false dichotomy.
    — Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Definition of glossing
Verb
  • That means Saturn rises around sunset, stays up through the night and sets at sunrise after shining at its brightest for the year.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Most rings use photoplethysmography, or PPG – essentially shining light into the skin and measuring changes caused by blood flow.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of shining
Verb
  • If the copper is heavily tarnished, let the toothpaste’s active ingredients work on the patina for ten minutes or so before buffing.
    — Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Classes and skills lean into different styles of play; Astromech droids are entirely support-focused, generating AP (action points) and buffing the party, while the Assault is focused on heavy damage and drawing aggro.
    — Hayes Madsen, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of buffing
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

japanned
japanning
japans
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Cite this Entry

“Japanning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/japanning. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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