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furbish

fur·bish
F f

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [fur-bish]
    • /ˈfɜr bɪʃ/
    • /ˈfɜː.bɪʃ/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [fur-bish]
    • /ˈfɜr bɪʃ/

Definitions of furbish word

  • verb with object furbish to restore to freshness of appearance or good condition (often followed by up): to furbish a run-down neighborhood; to furbish up one's command of a foreign language. 1
  • verb with object furbish to polish. 1
  • noun furbish Give a fresh look to (something old or shabby); renovate. 1
  • transitive verb furbish freshen the appearance of 1
  • verb furbish to make bright by polishing; burnish 0
  • verb furbish to improve the appearance or condition of; renovate; restore 0
See all 10 definitions of furbish

Information block about the term

Origin of furbish

First appearance:

before 1350
One of the 20% oldest English words
1350-1400; Middle English furbishen < Middle French forbiss-, long stem of forbir to polish, clean < Germanic; compare Old High German furban

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Furbish

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Furbish

furbish popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 66% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

furbish usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for furbish

verb furbish

  • shine — to give forth or glow with light; shed or cast light.
  • restore — to bring back into existence, use, or the like; reestablish: to restore order.
  • rub — to subject the surface of (a thing or person) to pressure and friction, as in cleaning, smoothing, polishing, coating, massaging, or soothing: to rub a table top with wax polish; to rub the entire back area.
  • gloss — an explanation or translation, by means of a marginal or interlinear note, of a technical or unusual expression in a manuscript text.
  • glaze — to furnish or fill with glass: to glaze a window.
All 19 Synonyms of furbish

Antonyms for furbish

verb furbish

  • damage — To damage an object means to break it, spoil it physically, or stop it from working properly.
  • destroy — To destroy something means to cause so much damage to it that it is completely ruined or does not exist any more.
  • ruin — ruins, the remains of a building, city, etc., that has been destroyed or that is in disrepair or a state of decay: We visited the ruins of ancient Greece.
  • dull — not sharp; blunt: a dull knife.
  • hurt — to cause bodily injury to; injure: He was badly hurt in the accident.
All 5 Antonyms of furbish

Top questions with furbish

  • what is furbish?
  • what does furbish mean?
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Related words

  • furbish lousewort

    any plant belonging to the genus Pedicularis, of the figwort family, as the wood betony, formerly supposed to cause lice in sheep feeding on it: one species, P. furbishiae (Furbish lousewort) of parts of Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, having finely toothed leaves and a cluster of yellow flowers, is endangered and was thought to be extinct until specimens were discovered in 1946 and again in 1976.

  • lousewort

    any plant belonging to the genus Pedicularis, of the figwort family, as the wood betony, formerly supposed to cause lice in sheep feeding on it: one species, P. furbishiae (Furbish lousewort) of parts of Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, having finely toothed leaves and a cluster of yellow flowers, is endangered and was thought to be extinct until specimens were discovered in 1946 and again in 1976.
All related words to furbish

See also

Matching words

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