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Glite Dictionary
🍽️ To finish quickly 💀 To kill
to polish off

to polish off

4 3.8
To finish something quickly and easily, for example a meal or a task
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈpɑlɪʃ ɔf/
  • Informal
translation icon : acabar
  • By the time she got back to the booth with my cheeseburger and onion rings, I'd polished off the milkshake.
  • polished off her meal
  • polished off a bottle
  • polished off the rest

Examples

  • Pleased at how quickly she had polished off her latest, Amber turned to face the bosun commanding the shuttle.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • I eat tons of black beans, super high in protein, so I Polish off like four or five of these a week.

  • For his breakfast, he had chosen to polish off the marshmallows as he worked.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • I've moved on to polishing off the last third of my novel in progress.

    Blog text (8)

  • While the lead-in music played, she polished off the scotch at the bottom of her glass.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Just today at noon, he polished off half a dozen tortillas.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Two truckers chatted at the counter, polishing off key lime pie and downing bottomless cups of coffee.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • After the party, we polished off the last of the pizza in no time.

  • He quickly polished off his homework so he could go out with friends.

  • During the picnic, they polished off an entire cake between them.

Synonyms

to wrap up
vsto polish off
226 3.0

Finish an activity or task

emphasizes quick, easy completion rather than formal closure
to finish up
vsto polish off
190 2.0

To complete an activity or task

is done quickly and easily rather than being a slow final step
to get through
vsto polish off
128 3.3

To finish a difficult or long task

usually means doing it quickly with little effort instead of struggling
to finish off
vsto polish off
20 3.5

To use up the last of something

involves acting quickly and easily rather than only using the final part
to eat up
vsto polish off
16 1.0

Finish all the food on your plate

also implies doing this quickly and with little effort
to clear up
vsto polish off
12 2.6

To finish tasks completely so nothing is left

is quicker and easier, not focused on resolving every small detail
to make short work of
vsto polish off
  • Informal
4 4.4

To finish something quickly and with little effort

focuses on quick and easy completion, often with food or simple tasks
to make quick work of
vsto polish off
  • Informal
4 3.9

Finish a task quickly and well

is about doing things quickly with little effort and casual speed
to mop up
vsto polish off
  • Informal
1 3.3

To finish the last parts of a job

focuses on quick, effortless completion rather than careful final clearing

Antonyms

to start
∞ 1.0

To begin an action, event or process

How Fast

to race
91 1.0
to polish off
  • Informal
4 3.8
to finish off
31 2.5
to wrap up
226 3.0
to complete
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

polish off infinitive
polished off past
polished off past participle
polishing off present participle
polishes off third person singular

Morphology

polish + off

The literal verb 'polish' (to make shiny) does not contribute a sense of killing, and the violent meaning depends on a slang sense of 'off' that B1 learners are unlikely to know. Because the overall meaning is idiomatic and not compositionally predictable from the constituents (and the phrase also has other senses like 'finish off'), this usage is opaque to learners.

Etymology

Polish off comes from the image of using polish to make something shine and the off part showing it is completely finished. So it means 'to finish' something quickly, especially to eat all of a dish.