1
as in rubbing
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure
you'll need to polish your shoes with a clean rag before the performance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in finishing
to bring (something) to a state where nothing remains to be done
once you polish the article a bit, it'll be ready to submit
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of polishing
Silver Centerpieces For anyone who's ever gotten stuck polishing silver, there's good news.
—
Heather Bien, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
When growth takes off, there's often a temptation to start polishing everything.
—Mike Vietri, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In perhaps Petty’s most existential cover, Fay, while polishing a silver pitcher, is stopped by the fun-house reflection of her face.
—Chris Ware, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
The brilliant white plinth undergoes seven grinding and polishing stages to achieve its glass-smooth finish.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2025
After mostly rising through Detroit’s system as a third baseman, Keith spent his entire rookie season learning and polishing his play at second base.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Assistant coach Aaron Wheeler, who played 11 years as a pro, has been working with Dieng, polishing his back-of-the-net finishing skills.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2025
Everything is connected by my love of the craft, the thrill of working through ideas and narrowing them down and polishing it all up in the end.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 14 Aug. 2025
To achieve this expressive precision, Constantine carefully worked on poems, polishing each and every word sometimes for close to fifteen years before sending them to the printers.
—Gregory Jusdanis, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
Heather Bien, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
When growth takes off, there's often a temptation to start polishing everything.
—Mike Vietri, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In perhaps Petty’s most existential cover, Fay, while polishing a silver pitcher, is stopped by the fun-house reflection of her face.
—Chris Ware, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
The brilliant white plinth undergoes seven grinding and polishing stages to achieve its glass-smooth finish.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2025
After mostly rising through Detroit’s system as a third baseman, Keith spent his entire rookie season learning and polishing his play at second base.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Assistant coach Aaron Wheeler, who played 11 years as a pro, has been working with Dieng, polishing his back-of-the-net finishing skills.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2025
Everything is connected by my love of the craft, the thrill of working through ideas and narrowing them down and polishing it all up in the end.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 14 Aug. 2025
To achieve this expressive precision, Constantine carefully worked on poems, polishing each and every word sometimes for close to fifteen years before sending them to the printers.
—Gregory Jusdanis, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for polishing
Verb
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Work it into the fabric by massaging it with the pads of your fingers or by rubbing the fabric against itself.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Sep. 2025
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These trees are always vulnerable to the male deer, known as bucks, rubbing their antlers on the trunks of the trees.—
Chris McKeown,
The Enquirer,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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All in all, the Ferrand II collaboration is a standout example of what happens when blending and finishing all hit their mark.—
Andy Vasoyan,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Or at least that was the easy answer in 2021 and 2022, when Georgia was finishing four years of ranking in the top two nationally in run defense.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Gallant, sleeveless and heavily tattooed, began slowly smoothing a white sheet atop his model’s shoulders.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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The multi-styler comes with all kinds of attachments, including several long barrels, two smoothing brushes, a round volumizing brush, and a smoothing dryer.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Beck finished the game completing 22 of 24 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to CJ Daniels.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
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Harrell’s improvement After a slow start against the Mountaineers in the Duke’s Mayo Classic, tossing an interception and completing just 54% of his passes, Harrell showed slight improvements against the Tar Heels’ defense.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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,
5 Sep. 2025
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Instead, Bungie rolled out a TWAB last week that was nerfing player progression instead of buffing it.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Six months later, the internship — some of which bore all the glamour of scrubbing bird poop and bucketing hundreds of pounds of fish as dolphin food — developed into a full-time gig as a trainer.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
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Let the solution sit for a maximum of 20 minutes before scrubbing the bowl with a nylon brush or your toilet brush.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Polishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/polishing. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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