to burnish
11
7.1
- verb
- /ˈbɜrnɪʃ/
:
pulir
- Use the special tool to burnish the metal surface until it shines.
- burnish the image
- burnish their reputation
Examples
-
After sanding the surface, you can burnish it to give it a shiny appearance.
-
To achieve a glossy finish on the furniture, make sure to burnish the wood with a soft cloth.
-
And then when you burnish, you lose the texture.
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Set them to burnishing their shields.
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Her hair fans out around her head and glows with a subtle, burnished light.
Fiction book (1999) -
In the direct sunlight, her face was burnished gold, sweat glinting across it.
Fiction book (1993) -
Muffin had chestnut hair that looked like burnished bronze after a brushing.
Fiction book (1995) -
July looked at the burnished copper skillets and pans that hung against the adobe wall.
Fiction book (1993) -
The Roman paradigm, burnished by excavated monuments in Algeria, charted a course for future action.
Academic text (2004) -
Finding a water stain on Vic's knife, Romualdo burnished the utensil, making diversionary eye contact all the while.
Fiction book (1995)
Synonyms
64
1.0
To make something smooth and bright by rubbing it
46
1.1
To make something smooth and shiny by rubbing it
17
4.4
To polish something by rubbing until it is smooth or shiny
1
4.0
To make a surface smooth and shiny by rubbing or polishing
1
9.2
To make something shiny by rubbing
Covered with a thin shiny layer to make a smooth surface
Antonyms
Phrasal Verbs
How Shiny
Surface Forms
Etymology
Burnish comes from an old French word brunir meaning 'to make brown', and it is like the English word brown. Imagine rubbing metal until it takes on a warm, brown shine like polished bronze. That's why to burnish something is to polish it by rubbing until it becomes smooth and shiny.