refine

/rɪˈfaɪn/ (bre, ipa) · /rɪˈfaɪn/ (ame, ipa) · /ri-ˈfīn/ (ame, mw)

refine — verb

  • refinepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • refineshe / she / it
  • refinedpast simple
  • refining-ing form

1. to remove unwanted materials from a natural substance so that it becomes pure en

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to remove unwanted materials from a natural substance so that it becomes pure enough to be useful — used especially for oil, sugar, metals, and other raw materials that must be processed before use

例句

The factory refines crude oil into petrol and other fuels.

refine + into (transformation)

Rin learned how sugar cane is refined to produce white sugar.

passive: be refined to produce

同義詞
  • purify

    Broader term; focuses on removing pollutants but does not imply transformation into a usable product

  • process

    More general; covers any treatment, not specifically removal of impurities

  • distill

    More specific; uses heating and condensation as the separation method

反義詞
  • contaminate

    To make a substance impure by adding unwanted material

文法句型

refine + noun phrase (object: raw material)

用法筆記

Commonly used with natural resources as objects (oil, sugar, metal, ore, salt). Often appears in passive voice and followed by 'from' (source material) or 'into' (result).

常見錯誤

❌The chemist refined the water by boiling it.
✅The chemist purified the water by boiling it.
💡'refine' is for complex processing of raw materials, not simple cleaning or filtering.
❌She refined the apple by washing it.
✅She washed the apple.
💡'refine' implies industrial or chemical processing, not everyday cleaning.

2. to improve something such as a process, design, or piece of writing by making sm

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

to improve something such as a process, design, or piece of writing by making small adjustments to it over time

例句

The coach asked the players to refine their passing skills before the match.

refine + skill (abstract object)

Adaeze spent the weekend refining the layout of her personal website.

同義詞
  • improve

    More general; can refer to any kind of making better, not just through small changes

  • polish

    More informal; specifically refers to making final small improvements near completion

  • hone

    Stronger emphasis on making something sharper or more precise through practice

  • fine-tune

    Suggests adjusting small settings or parameters for optimal performance

反義詞
  • worsen

    To make something worse instead of better

文法句型

refine + noun phrase (object: concept, method, skill)

用法筆記

Subject is typically a person, team, or organization. Common in professional and academic contexts. Unlike 'improve,' which can refer to a single big change, 'refine' always implies repeated small adjustments over time.

常見錯誤

❌We need to refine the whole system from scratch.
✅We need to refine the system by adjusting a few steps.
💡'refine' means small changes, not a complete rebuild.
❌She refined her essay by deleting two paragraphs.
✅She refined her essay by polishing the language and fixing small errors.
💡'refine' involves detail-oriented fine-tuning, not major cuts.