make more complex, intricate, or richer
"refine a design or pattern"
treat or prepare so as to put in a usable condition
"refine paper stock"
"refine pig iron"
"refine oil"
attenuate or reduce in vigor, strength, or intensity by polishing or purifying
"many valuable nutrients are refined out of the foods in our modern diet"
make more precise or increase the discriminatory powers of
"refine a method of analysis"
"refine the constant in the equation"
To purify; reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities.
"The alchemist spent weeks refining the crude ore until only gleaming gold remained."
In plain English: To refine something means to make it better by removing unwanted parts or adding small improvements.
"She needs to refine her speech before giving the presentation tomorrow."
Usage: Use refine when you want to improve the quality of something by removing flaws or making it more elegant, rather than just changing its basic nature. This word often applies to abstract concepts like skills and ideas as well as physical substances like oil or sugar.
The word refine comes from combining the prefix re- with fine, meaning to make something finer or purer. It entered English through French and Latin roots that originally described the process of making metals pure or sugar white.