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finest

 - 6 dictionary results

fin⋅est

  [fahy-nist]
–noun (used with a plural verb) Informal.
the police: New York City's finest.
Use finest in a Sentence
Origin:
1925–30, Americanism

fine

1  [fahyn] adjective, fin⋅er, fin⋅est, adverb, verb, fined, fin⋅ing, noun
–adjective
1. of superior or best quality; of high or highest grade: fine wine.
2. choice, excellent, or admirable: a fine painting.
3. consisting of minute particles: fine sand; a fine purée.
4. very thin or slender: fine thread.
5. keen or sharp, as a tool: Is the knife fine enough to carve well?
6. delicate in texture; filmy: fine cotton fabric.
7. delicately fashioned: fine tracery.
8. highly skilled or accomplished: a fine musician.
9. trained to the maximum degree, as an athlete.
10. characterized by or affecting refinement or elegance: a fine lady.
11. polished or refined: fine manners.
12. affectedly ornate or elegant: A style so fine repels the average reader.
13. delicate or subtle: a fine distinction.
14. bright and clear: a fine day; fine skin.
15. healthy; well: In spite of his recent illness, he looks fine.
16. showy or smart; elegant in appearance: a bird of fine plumage.
17. good-looking or handsome: a fine young man.
18. (of a precious metal or its alloy) free from impurities or containing a large amount of pure metal: fine gold; Sterling silver is 92.5 percent fine.
–adverb
19. Informal. in an excellent manner; very well: He did fine on the exams. She sings fine.
20. very small: She writes so fine I can hardly read it.
21. Billiards, Pool. in such a way that the driven ball barely touches the object ball in passing.
22. Nautical. as close as possible to the wind: sailing fine.
–verb (used without object)
23. to become fine or finer, as by refining.
24. to become less, as in size or proportions; reduce; diminish (often fol. by down): The plumpness fines down with exercise.
–verb (used with object)
25. to make fine or finer, esp. by refining or pulverizing.
26. to reduce the size or proportions of (often used with down or away): to fine down the heavy features; to fine away superfluous matter in a design.
27. to clarify (wines or spirits) by filtration.
–noun
28. fines,
a. Mining. crushed ore sufficiently fine to pass through a given screen. Compare short (def. 29a).
b. Agriculture. the fine bits of corn kernel knocked off during handling of the grain.
—Idiom
29. cut fine, to calculate precisely, esp. without allowing for possible error or accident: To finish in ten minutes is to cut it too fine.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME fin < AF, OF < L fīnis end, utmost limit, highest point

Synonyms:
1. finished, consummate, perfect; select. Fine, choice, elegant, exquisite are terms of praise with reference to quality. Fine is a general term: a fine horse, person, book. Choice implies a discriminating selection of the object in question: a choice piece of steak. Elegant suggests a refined and graceful superiority that is generally associated with luxury and a cultivated taste: elegant furnishings. Exquisite suggests an admirable delicacy, finish, or perfection: an exquisite piece of lace. 3. powdered, pulverized. 5. acute.

Antonyms:
1. inferior.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To finest
fine 1   (fīn)   
adj.   fin·er, fin·est

  1. Of superior quality, skill, or appearance: a fine day; a fine writer.

  2. Very small in size, weight, or thickness: fine type; fine paper.

    1. Free from impurities.

    2. Metallurgy Containing pure metal in a specified proportion or amount: gold 21 carats fine.

    3. Subtle or precise: a fine difference.

    4. Able to make or detect effects of great subtlety or precision; sensitive: has a fine eye for color.

  4. Very sharp; keen: a blade with a fine edge.

  5. Thin; slender: fine hairs.

  6. Exhibiting careful and delicate artistry: fine china. See Synonyms at delicate.

  7. Consisting of very small particles; not coarse: fine dust.

    1. Subtle or precise: a fine difference.

    2. Able to make or detect effects of great subtlety or precision; sensitive: has a fine eye for color.

  9. Trained to the highest degree of physical efficiency: a fine racehorse.

  10. Characterized by refinement or elegance.

  11. Satisfactory; acceptable: Handing in your paper on Monday is fine.

  12. Being in a state of satisfactory health; quite well: I'm fine. And you?

  13. Used as an intensive: a fine mess.

adv.  

  1. Finely.

  2. Informal Very well: doing fine.

tr. & intr.v.   fined, fin·ing, fines
To make or become finer, purer, or cleaner.

[Middle English fin, from Old French, from Latin fīnis, end, supreme degree.]
fine'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

fine  (n.)
c.1200, "termination," from O.Fr. fin "end," from M.L. finis "a payment in settlement, fine or tax," from L. finis "end." Modern meaning is via sense of "sum of money paid for exemption from punishment or to compensate for injury" (c.1340, from the same sense in Anglo-Fr., 1292) and from phrases such as to make fine "make one's peace, settle a matter" (1297). Meaning "sum of money imposed as penalty for some offense" is first recorded 1529; the verb meaning "to punish by a fine" is from 1559.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: fine
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: fined; fin·ing
: to impose a fine on : punish by fine
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: fine
Pronunciation: 'fIn
Function: adjective
Inflected Forms: fin·er; fin·est
of bodily tremors : ofslight excursion
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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