refine
gb/ɹɪfˈaɪn/ us/ɹɪfˈaɪn/
B2
Engleză
~ 5400
Sensuri
0 sensuri
Verb
B2
action
1
Improve something with small changes
To make something better by changing it a little in a careful way.
Tipar de utilizare:
to refine [a process/plan/idea/skill]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes confuse 'refine' with 'define'. 'Refine' means to improve something that already exists by making small changes, while 'define' means to explain the meaning of a word or idea. Another mistake is using 'refine' for big changes; for large, major changes, 'change' or 'redesign' is usually more natural.
Sinonime
improve (More general; does not suggest the small, careful changes that 'refine' does.)
|
fine-tune (Very close in meaning; often used for technical systems or performance settings.)
|
polish (Often used for style, writing, or performance; suggests making something smoother or more elegant.)
Antonime
worsen (To make something less good, the opposite of improving it by refinement.)
|
ruin (To damage something badly so it no longer works or is useful, the opposite of carefully improving it.)
Colocații
refine a process
|refine a plan
|refine a design
|refine your skills
|refine the method
|refine the model
Teme
work
|education
|technology
|creativity
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- We need to refine our strategy before presenting it to the board.
- The team spent months refining the app based on user feedback.
- She refined her presentation until every slide was clear and concise.
- The company is refining its hiring process to make it more fair.
- Over the years, he refined his coaching style to suit different players.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The chef refined the recipe many times.
- You should refine your plan before you start.
- He refined his speech and removed some hard words.
- They refined the product after listening to customers.
- Practice will help you refine your writing skills.
Verb
B2
action
2
Remove impurities from a substance
To clean a material like oil or sugar so that only the good, pure part is left.
Tipar de utilizare:
to refine [oil/sugar/metal]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may think 'refine' is only used in abstract situations like ideas or plans. In science and industry, 'refine' is often used in a physical sense, especially with oil, sugar, and metals.
Sinonime
purify (Very close in meaning; slightly more general and often used in scientific and environmental contexts.)
|
process (Broader; includes many industrial steps, not only removing impurities.)
Antonime
contaminate (To make something dirty or unsafe by adding harmful substances, the opposite of refining it.)
|
pollute (To make air, water, or land dirty, the opposite direction of refining toward purity.)
Colocații
refine oil
|refine sugar
|refine crude
|refine metal
|refine gold
|refine raw materials
Teme
science
|industry
|environment
|technology
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- The company refines crude oil into gasoline and diesel.
- Sugar is refined in large factories before it reaches the supermarket.
- The laboratory developed a new method to refine recycled metals.
- This plant refines raw palm oil for use in food products.
- Gold is refined to remove other metals and increase its purity.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The factory refines oil for cars and planes.
- This plant refines sugar from sugarcane.
- They refine the metal before they make tools.
- Clean water is refined and checked in a special center.
- The company refines crude oil into many products.
Verb
formal
C1
action
3
Make behavior or tastes more cultured
To make a person’s manners or tastes more polite and careful.
Tipar de utilizare:
to refine [someone's] manners/tastes/sensibilities
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may overuse this sense with objects instead of people. When talking about things like plans or products, use the more general sense of 'refine' meaning 'improve'. This sense is mainly about people’s manners, tastes, or feelings.
Sinonime
cultivate (Suggests careful development of tastes or skills over time.)
|
civilize (Stronger and sometimes negative or historical; implies moving from 'rough' to 'civilized'.)
Antonime
coarsen (To make someone’s behavior or feelings less polite or sensitive.)
|
brutalize (To make someone more cruel or insensitive, the opposite of refining their character.)
Colocații
refine his manners
|refine her tastes
|refine their sensibilities
|refine one’s palate
|refine social skills
Teme
social
|culture
|education
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- Travel can refine a person's tastes and perspectives.
- Years of music training refined his ear for subtle harmonies.
- The school aims to refine students’ social skills as well as their academic abilities.
- Living abroad refined her palate and introduced her to new cuisines.
- Classical literature helped refine his sense of style in writing.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Good teachers can help refine a child’s manners.
- Art classes can refine your taste in movies and music.
- Living in a big city refined his social skills.
- The program tries to refine students’ behavior.
- Reading many books refined her sense of language.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
refine
IPA
GB/ɹɪfˈaɪn/
US/ɹɪfˈaɪn/
Silabe și accent
re - fine (2 silabe)
Stress on 2nd syllable (fine)
Forme ale cuvântului
Verb
- Base: refine
- 3rd Person Singular: refines
- Present Participle: refining
- Past: refined
Familie de cuvinte
Forms
refines
verb
refining
verb
refined
verb
Core family
refinement
noun B2
Related words
refiner
noun
refinery
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
unrefined
adjective
Advanced or less common
refinable
adjective
Expresii
refine a design
1/ɹɪfˈaɪn ə dɪzˈaɪn/
fixed phrase
Improve the details of a design
To change the small parts of a design so it looks or works better.
Exemple
- The architect spent weeks refining the design of the new library.
- We need to refine the design before sending it to the client.
- User feedback helped them refine the design of the website.
refine oil
1/ɹɪfˈaɪn ˈɔɪl/
fixed phrase
Process crude oil into fuels
To clean and change crude oil in a factory so it becomes fuel and other products.
Exemple
- This plant refines oil into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
- The company plans to refine more oil locally instead of importing fuel.
- Modern refineries can refine oil more efficiently than older ones.
refine sugar
1/ɹɪfˈaɪn ʃˈʊɡɚ/
fixed phrase
Process sugar to make it pure
To clean and process raw sugar so that it becomes white and pure.
Exemple
- Factories refine sugar from sugarcane and sugar beets.
- The company uses a new method to refine sugar with less energy.
- Most white table sugar has been highly refined.
refine the process
1/ɹɪfˈaɪn ðə pɹˈɑsˌɛs/
fixed phrase
Improve a method step by step
To change a way of doing something in small steps so it works better.
Exemple
- We will refine the process after we see the first results.
- The team is working to refine the process to save time and money.
- Over the years, they refined the process until it became very efficient.
refine your search
1/ɹɪfˈaɪn jˈʊɹ sˈɚt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
Make an online search narrower
To add or change words in a search box so you get fewer, more exact results.
Exemple
- If you get too many results, try to refine your search with more specific keywords.
- The website suggests related terms to help you refine your search.
- You can refine your search by using filters on the left side of the page.
refine your skills
1/ɹɪfˈaɪn jˈʊɹ skˈɪlz/
fixed phrase
Improve skills with practice
To practice and adjust what you can already do so that you do it better.
Exemple
- This course will help you refine your skills in public speaking.
- She took extra lessons to refine her skills before the competition.
- Working with a mentor is a great way to refine your skills.