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| Date: | 1200-1300 |
| Language: | Old French |
| Origin: | polir, from Latin polire |
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pol‧ish1
[transitive]
[transitive]1 to make something smooth, bright, and shiny by rubbing it : I spent all afternoon polishing the silver.
I spent all afternoon polishing the silver.2 to improve a piece of writing, a speech etc by making slight changes to it before it is completely finished : Your essay is good, you just need to polish it a bit.
Your essay is good, you just need to polish it a bit. —polishing noun [uncountable]
polish somebody/something ↔ off
phrasal verba) to finish food, work etc quickly or easily : Sam polished off the rest of the pizza.
Sam polished off the rest of the pizza.b) American English to kill or defeat a person or animal when they are weak or wounded : He was polished off with a shotgun blast to the face.
He was polished off with a shotgun blast to the face.polish something ↔ up
phrasal verb1 also polish up on something to improve a skill or an ability by practising it : You should polish up your Spanish before you go to Chile.
You should polish up your Spanish before you go to Chile.2 to make something seem better or more attractive to other people : The company needs to polish up its image.
The company needs to polish up its image.3 to polish something
WORD FOCUS: clean WORD FOCUS: clean
wash with soap and water
wipe with a damp cloth
brush with a brush to remove the dirt
polish by rubbing with a cloth
scrub by rubbing hard
sweep with a broom
mop with water and a mop (a tool with a long handle)
vacuum also hoover British English with a machine that sucks up dust
disinfect using chemicals to kill germs
cleanse to clean your skin using a special cream
rinse to put water on to remove dirt or soap
dust to remove dust, for example with a cloth
➔ See also clean
WORD FOCUS: clean wash with soap and water
wipe with a damp cloth
brush with a brush to remove the dirt
polish by rubbing with a cloth
scrub by rubbing hard
sweep with a broom
mop with water and a mop (a tool with a long handle)
vacuum also hoover British English with a machine that sucks up dust
disinfect using chemicals to kill germs
cleanse to clean your skin using a special cream
rinse to put water on to remove dirt or soap
dust to remove dust, for example with a cloth
➔ See also clean
