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refine

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Refine is defined as to purify, to make more polished, or to become more defined.

(verb)

An example of refine is removing impurities from an olive oil.
An example of refine is teaching manners and etiquette to a hoodlum.
An example of refine is removing all the filler words from a speech.

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See refine in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb refined, refining

to make fine or pure; free from impurities, dross, alloy, sediment, etc.; purify; clarify
to free from imperfection, coarseness, crudeness, etc.; make more elegant or cultivated; impart polish to
to make more subtle or precise

Origin: re- + fine, v., based on Fr raffiner, to purify

intransitive verb

to become fine or pure; become free from impurities, etc.
to become more polished or elegant
to use subtleties and fine distinctions in thinking or speaking

Related Forms:

refiner noun

See refine in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb re·fined, re·fin·ing, re·fines

verb, transitive

To reduce to a pure state; purify.
To remove by purifying.
To free from coarse, unsuitable, or immoral characteristics: refined his manners; refined her speaking style.

verb, intransitive

To become free of impurities.
To acquire polish or elegance.
To use precise distinctions and subtlety in thought or speech.

Related Forms:

re·finˈer noun

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