fine

1 of 6

adjective

ˈfīn 

finer; finest

1

a

: all right

that's fine with me

b

: well or healthy : not sick or injured

feel fine

2

: superior in kind, quality, or appearance : excellent

a fine job

a fine day

fine wines

3

a(1)

: very thin in gauge or texture

fine thread

(2)

: not coarse

fine sand

(3)

: very small

fine print

(4)

: keen

a knife with a fine edge

(5)

: very precise or accurate

a fine adjustment

trying to be too fine with his pitches

b

: physically trained or hardened close to the limit of efficiency

—used of an athlete or animal

4

: delicate, subtle, or sensitive in quality, perception, or discrimination

a fine distinction

5

a

: ornate sense 1

fine writing

b

: marked by or affecting elegance or refinement

fine manners

6

—used as an intensive

the leader, in a fine frenzy, beheaded one of his wives

—Brian Crozier

7

a

: free from impurity

b

of a metal : having a stated proportion of pure metal in the composition expressed in parts per thousand

a gold coin .9166 fine

fineness

ˈfīn-nəs 

noun

fine

2 of 6

adverb

1

: finely: such as

a

: very well

b

: all right

2

: with a very narrow margin of time or space

she had not intended to cut her escape so fine

—Melinda Beck et al.

fine

3 of 6

noun (1)

1

a

: a sum imposed as punishment for an offense

The motorist had to pay a fine for speeding.

b

: a forfeiture or penalty paid to an injured party in a civil action

2

: a compromise of a fictitious suit used as a form of conveyance of lands

3

obsolete : end, conclusion

fine

4 of 6

verb (1)

fined; fining

transitive verb

: to impose a fine on : punish by a fine

fine

5 of 6

verb (2)

fined; fining

transitive verb

1

: purify, clarify

fine and filter wine

2

: to make finer in quality or size

intransitive verb

1

: to become pure or clear

the ale will fine

2

: to become smaller in lines or proportions

fine

6 of 6

noun (2)

fi·​ne ˈfē-(ˌ)nā 

: end

—used as a direction in music to mark the closing point after a repeat

Phrases

in fine

: in short

Synonyms

Adjective

• dusty
• floury
• powdery

Adverb

• acceptably
• adequately
• all right
• alright
• creditably
• decently
• good
• middlingly
• nicely
• OK
• okay
• passably
• respectably
• satisfactorily
• serviceably
• so-so
• sufficiently
• tolerably
• well

Noun (1)

• damages
• forfeit
• forfeiture
• mulct
• penalty

Verb (1)

• assess
• charge
• exact
• impose
• lay
• levy
• put

Verb (2)

• clarify
• clear
• distill
• distil
• filter
• garble
• purify

Examples of fine in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a $50 fine for speeding

“Is there anything wrong?” “No, everything's fine.”

The house looks fine to me.

I think that's a fine idea.

You did a fine job.

The house is in fine shape.

This is a fine example of what can go wrong when one person is given too much power.

He's a fine young man.

“Did you hurt yourself?” “No, I'm fine.”

Verb (1)

the police will fine you for driving with one headlight out

She did fine on the test.

My mother is doing fine, thank you.

This'll do fine for now.

She talks and walks so fine, just like a great lady.

Verb (2)

the use of egg shells to fine wine

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The next fine home on the block was built in 1912 at 727 W. Walnut by John Fraser and bought by Tom McNeil in 1929. —James F. Hales Remembering Rogers, arkansasonline.com, 31 Oct. 2024

The Straits occupies The Mansion’s main dining room and offers a fine dining experience in a space with the same kind of historic-meets-modern charm as the guest rooms. —Beth Luberecki, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024

Adverb

At the corporate level, Sony is actually doing just fine. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2024

Guentzel has fit in just fine on Tampa Bay’s top line with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, posting 2-7-9 in the team’s nine games through Monday. —Tom Layberger, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024

Verb

Some thirty-six bankers were tried, sent to jail and fined, a development that is in stark contrast to other crisis hit countries. —Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

Russia has fined Google an eye-popping 20 undecillion rubles ($2.5 decillion) for removing Russian state-run and government YouTube channels in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune Europe, 31 Oct. 2024

Noun

And with the percentage of companies facing class actions at a 13-year high, CISOs will be asked to contribute toward the company’s class-action defense fund in 2025, making costs from class actions greatly exceed fines imposed by regulators. —Forrester, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Department officials said the size of the fine against American reflected the large number of incidents, which included damaging wheelchairs or taking too long to return them to passengers after flights. —David Koenig, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English fin, fyne "of choice quality, superior, admirable, free from impurity, delicate," borrowed from Anglo-French fin, going back to Gallo-Romance *fīnus "extreme, ultimate," adjective derivative of Latin fīnis "boundary, limit, ending" — more at final entry 1

Adverb

Middle English fyne, derivative of fin, fyne fine entry 1

Noun (1)

Middle English fin, fyne "end, conclusion, final legal settlement relating to alienation of property, fee paid to complete a legal conveyance, money paid in lieu of judicial punishment," borrowed from Anglo-French fin, going back to Latin fīnis "boundary, limit, terminal point, ending" (Medieval Latin also, "legal settlement, agreement involving payment, payment in lieu of punishment") — more at final entry 1

Verb (1)

in part derivative of fine entry 3, in part continuing Middle English finen "to pay a fine," borrowed from Anglo-French finer "to pay as a fine, make a payment," verbal derivative of fin fine entry 3

Verb (2)

Middle English finen, derivative of fin, fyne fine entry 1

Noun (2)

borrowed from Italian, going back to Latin fīnis "boundary, limit, ending" — more at final entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7a

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb (1)

circa 1513, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

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

Noun (2)

1740, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fine

• chance would be a fine thing
• cut it fine
• fine and dandy
• fine art
• fine line
• fine/okay by me
• fine one to talk
• fine print
• fine structure
• fine-tooth comb
• fine-tune
• fine-tuned
• go over/through (something) with a fine-tooth comb
• in fine
• in fine fettle
• not to put too fine a point on it
• to good/great effect

Kids Definition

fine

1 of 5 noun

ˈfīn 

: a sum of money to be paid as a punishment

fine

2 of 5 verb

fined; fining

: to punish by a fine

fine

3 of 5 adjective

finer; finest

1

: free from impurity

2

a

: not thick, coarse, or dull

fine thread

fine sand

b

: small entry 1 sense 1

fine print

c

: done with extreme care and accuracy

fine measurement

3

: subtle sense 1b

a fine distinction

4

: excellent in quality or appearance

a fine spring day

5

: to one's liking : agreeable

that's fine with me

6

: very well

feel fine

finely adverb

fineness

ˈfīn-nəs 

noun

fine

4 of 5 adverb

1

: in a fine manner

2

: very well

did fine on the test

I liked it fine

fine

5 of 5 noun

fi·​ne

ˈfē-(ˌ)nā

: end entry 1 sense 1b

—used as a direction in music to mark the closing point after a repeat

Etymology

Noun

from earlier fine "a final agreement to settle a lawsuit," from Middle English fine "end, conclusion," from early French fin (same meaning), from Latin finis "end, limit" — related to final

Adjective

Middle English fin "pure, brought to perfection," from early French fin (same meaning), from Latin finis (noun) "end, limit" as in finis honorum "the height of honor, the highest honor"

Noun

Italian, from Latin finis "end, limit"

Medical Definition

fine

adjective

ˈfīn 

finer; finest

of bodily tremors

: of slight excursion

Legal Definition

fine

1 of 2 noun

1

: a sum imposed as punishment for an offense compare restitution

2

: a forfeiture or penalty paid to an injured party in a civil action

fine

2 of 2 transitive verb

fined; fining

: to impose a fine on : punish by fine

Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French fin, fine & Medieval Latin finis end, boundary, agreement, payment for release or privilege, monetary penalty, from Latin finis end, boundary