as in improving
to make better
worked on refining her backhand before the big tennis match
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Recent Examples of refining
Luckritz said the departments would continue refining the data dashboards before releasing them to the public later this year.
—
Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
Disney’s post-Iger leaders will face number of headaches, including managing ongoing declines in linear TV, coping with the surging cost of sports rights and refining the strategy in streaming.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
In December, while refining his routine for his first Olympic Games, in Milan, the 21-year-old figure skater landed seven quadruple jumps in competition, spinning like a weather vane in a windstorm.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026
Adjusting to new music and refining the interstitial steps between big elements like jumps and spins is often a season-long process, not something a skater would typically do on a much shorter timeline with an Olympic berth on the line.
—Alice Park, Time, 1 Feb. 2026
What early trials revealed After refining the system with healthy participants, researchers tested Revoice with five stroke patients who had dysarthria.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
Dalia Rawson, now the executive director of New Ballet in San Jose, spent decades training and refining her craft as a ballet dancer, and says that after rehearsing for weeks on end with the other members of her company, something special happened.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
Rincon Homes, the developer, spent four years refining the proposal and worked with residents to address their concerns, said Jonathan Frankel, the company’s vice president of forward planning.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Armed with the insights gleaned from Go and Fresh, Amazon is refining and expanding its new five-store, small format Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, which will serve as a mini-convenience store.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
Disney’s post-Iger leaders will face number of headaches, including managing ongoing declines in linear TV, coping with the surging cost of sports rights and refining the strategy in streaming.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026
In December, while refining his routine for his first Olympic Games, in Milan, the 21-year-old figure skater landed seven quadruple jumps in competition, spinning like a weather vane in a windstorm.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026
Adjusting to new music and refining the interstitial steps between big elements like jumps and spins is often a season-long process, not something a skater would typically do on a much shorter timeline with an Olympic berth on the line.
—Alice Park, Time, 1 Feb. 2026
What early trials revealed After refining the system with healthy participants, researchers tested Revoice with five stroke patients who had dysarthria.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026
Dalia Rawson, now the executive director of New Ballet in San Jose, spent decades training and refining her craft as a ballet dancer, and says that after rehearsing for weeks on end with the other members of her company, something special happened.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2026
Rincon Homes, the developer, spent four years refining the proposal and worked with residents to address their concerns, said Jonathan Frankel, the company’s vice president of forward planning.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Armed with the insights gleaned from Go and Fresh, Amazon is refining and expanding its new five-store, small format Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, which will serve as a mini-convenience store.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refining
Verb
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With the advent of better cancer-screening tools, survival rates are improving, and wonder-drug therapeutics for many conditions are now on the market.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
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In recent designs, AIP modules can extend underwater endurance from roughly two days to several weeks, significantly improving stealth and operational flexibility.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These systems optimize contrast, brightness, and color with machine learning algorithms that adjust to scene content and ambient light, significantly enhancing viewing quality without manual calibration.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
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With plans for major renovations to Robb Field and Dusty Rhodes Park already approved by the city, the emphasis this time was on enhancing smaller parks that primarily serve local residents.—
Steven Mihailovich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Refining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refining. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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