polish

1 of 4

verb

pol·​ish ˈpä-lish How to pronounce polish (audio)
polished; polishing; polishes

transitive verb

1
: to make smooth and glossy usually by friction : burnish
2
: to smooth, soften, or refine in manners or condition
3
: to bring to a highly developed, finished, or refined state : perfect

intransitive verb

: to become smooth or glossy by or as if by friction
polisher noun

polish

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
a
: a smooth glossy surface : luster
b
: freedom from rudeness or coarseness : culture
c
: a state of high development or refinement
2
: the action or process of polishing
3
: a preparation that is used to produce a gloss and often a color for the protection and decoration of a surface
furniture polish
nail polish

Polish

3 of 4

adjective

Pol·​ish ˈpō-lish How to pronounce Polish (audio)
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Poland, the Poles, or Polish

Polish

4 of 4

noun (2)

: the Slavic language of the Poles

Examples of polish in a Sentence

Verb He spent the summer polishing his math skills. you'll need to polish your shoes with a clean rag before the performance Noun (1) I need more shoe polish. Did you use a wax polish on the table or an oil-based one? The movie has the polish we've come to expect from that director. He's rude and lacks polish.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
High school seniors are now in the midst of the college admissions process; writing essays, polishing college lists, and preparing for interviews. Christopher Rim, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 Read on to learn how to use banana peels to shine and polish silver and leather, as well as several other unusual household uses for banana peels. Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Oct. 2024
Noun
Stepping into this shop is a visceral experience — the smell of shoe polish, the blues playing in the background, the walls covered in fading clips from decades-old issues of the Rocky Mountain News. Beth Rankin, The Denver Post, 5 Nov. 2024 Beige and ivory tones are my favorites, even in fall, so this belt was the ideal way to transition some lighter pieces into cooler weather, anchoring them with modern polish and echoing the curves of buttons, earrings, and bracelets. Laura Lajiness Kaupke, Glamour, 30 Oct. 2024
Adjective
The vibe is also congenial: A multi-generational, full-capacity crowd claps in time to the ebullient techno between games and cheers in unison when an announcement reveals that a Polish couple who’ve just got engaged here will be enjoying top-tier hospitality for the rest of the tournament. Nick Scott, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2024 At a Thursday summit, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Polish President Andrzej Duda condemned the reports. Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for polish 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English polisshen, from Anglo-French poliss-, stem of polir, from Latin polire

Adjective

Pole

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Adjective

1592, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1555, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of polish was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near polish

Cite this Entry

“Polish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polish. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

polish

1 of 4 verb
pol·​ish ˈpäl-ish How to pronounce polish (audio)
1
: to make smooth and glossy usually by rubbing
2
: to smooth or improve in manners, condition, or style
3
: to bring to a highly developed or finished state
polish a technique
polisher noun

polish

2 of 4 noun
1
a
: a smooth glossy surface : luster
b
: good manners : refinement
2
: the action or process of polishing
3
: a substance prepared for use in polishing
shoe polish
nail polish

Polish

3 of 4 adjective
Pol·​ish ˈpō-lish How to pronounce Polish (audio)
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Poland, the Poles, or Polish

Polish

4 of 4 noun
: the Slavic language of the Poles

More from Merriam-Webster on polish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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