as in to polish
to cover (something) with varnish
He varnished the table.
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Recent Examples of varnish
News Desk, Artforum, 6 Feb. 2025
Red and brown cliffs, varnished by thousands of years of high-desert weather, towered on either side of me.
—Derek M. Norman, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
Ryan Fleming, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
Her nails are very long and covered in very red varnish.
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for varnish
Verb
Both works underwent conservation at Harvard, with conservators Ellen Davis and Kate Smith noting that Two Human Beings had at one point been varnished, in a move inconsistent with Munch’s practice, and that Train Smoke had accumulated atmospheric grime and was in need of paint stabilization.
—News Desk, Artforum, 6 Feb. 2025
Red and brown cliffs, varnished by thousands of years of high-desert weather, towered on either side of me.
—Derek M. Norman, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
The Evelyn tables are the oldest surviving anatomical preparations, made from real human tissue, dissected blood vessels and nerves glued to wooden boards and covered in varnish.
—Ryan Fleming, Deadline, 4 Dec. 2025
Her nails are very long and covered in very red varnish.
—Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for varnish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for varnish
Verb
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In another, Kelly’s character polishes the massive rock on a seat cushion, then lies back to admire it.—
Rachel Garrahan,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
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Use jelly polishes atop an opaque base!—
Rebecca Norris,
InStyle,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Lili Reinhart went for high gloss in her take on a Patou trenchcoat for the French fashion house’s latest show during Paris Men’s Fashion Week on Sunday.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
26 Jan. 2026
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In another bathroom, the firm designed a bulbous vanity covered in parchment leather with a waterproof high-gloss finish.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Cole, a Belgian gelding who’s about 12 years old, calmly stood tied to a rope in the barn on the Kuehls’ property as visitors walked up to him and rubbed above his nose.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
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Combined with the swiveling dining table, the setup allows several digital nomads to comfortably clack away on their keyboards at the same time – no banging elbows or rubbing knees.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But ChatGPT and its ilk are also being used to give fraudulent or shoddy work a new veneer of plausibility, according to Mandy Hill, the managing director of academic publishing at Cambridge University Press & Assessment.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
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Even the very question suggests a veneer of legitimacy for Goetz’s actions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Contour seams enhance lifting, smoothing and comfortable compression.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Two stagehands were smoothing the surface with bladed scrapers.—
Bob Morris,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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From the pigment that lets squid and octopuses shift color for camouflage to the chemical compounds produced by corals and their microbial partners, these molecular signals help organisms survive and adapt.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
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This remains true even when standard and thermal camouflage are employed, due to persistent observation by Ukrainian drones equipped with thermal imaging systems.—
Vikram Mittal,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Pour flour in a plastic bag, season with salt and pepper, and drop the breasts in to coat.—
Gretchen McKay,
Twin Cities,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The nuggets are made from all-white meat chicken marinated in jalapeño buttermilk and coated with a blend of breadcrumbs and tortilla chips.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To serve, let the frozen rolls thaw in the fridge for a few hours or overnight (still in their pan), then bake in a 375˚F oven for fifteen to twenty minutes and glaze with the hot golden syrup (do not skip this step), as per the instructions below.—
Anna Grace Lee,
Vogue,
22 Dec. 2025
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If your child prefers sweetness, glaze carrots with a little honey or ketchup (try Simply Heinz Ketchup, which is made with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup).—
Karen Cicero,
Parents,
21 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Varnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/varnish. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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