fine

1 of 6

adjective

finer; finest
1
a
: all right
that's fine with me
b
: well or healthy : not sick or injured
feel fine
2
: superior in kind, quality, or appearance : excellent
a fine job
a fine day
fine wines
3
a(1)
: very thin in gauge or texture
fine thread
(2)
: not coarse
fine sand
(3)
: very small
fine print
(4)
: keen
a knife with a fine edge
(5)
: very precise or accurate
a fine adjustment
trying to be too fine with his pitches
b
: physically trained or hardened close to the limit of efficiency
used of an athlete or animal
4
: delicate, subtle, or sensitive in quality, perception, or discrimination
a fine distinction
5
a
: ornate sense 1
fine writing
b
: marked by or affecting elegance or refinement
fine manners
6
used as an intensive
the leader, in a fine frenzy, beheaded one of his wivesBrian Crozier
7
a
: free from impurity
b
of a metal : having a stated proportion of pure metal in the composition expressed in parts per thousand
a gold coin .9166 fine
fineness noun

fine

2 of 6

adverb

1
: finely: such as
a
: very well
b
2
: with a very narrow margin of time or space
she had not intended to cut her escape so fineMelinda Beck et al.

fine

3 of 6

noun (1)

1
a
: a sum imposed as punishment for an offense
The motorist had to pay a fine for speeding.
b
: a forfeiture or penalty paid to an injured party in a civil action
2
: a compromise of a fictitious suit used as a form of conveyance of lands
3
obsolete : end, conclusion

fine

4 of 6

verb (1)

fined; fining

transitive verb

: to impose a fine on : punish by a fine

fine

5 of 6

verb (2)

fined; fining

transitive verb

1
: purify, clarify
fine and filter wine
2
: to make finer in quality or size

intransitive verb

1
: to become pure or clear
the ale will fine
2
: to become smaller in lines or proportions

fine

6 of 6

noun (2)

fi·​ne ˈfē-(ˌ)nā How to pronounce fine (audio)
: end
used as a direction in music to mark the closing point after a repeat
Phrases
in fine
: in short

Examples of fine in a Sentence

Adjective “Is there anything wrong?” “No, everything's fine.” The house looks fine to me. I think that's a fine idea. You did a fine job. The house is in fine shape. This is a fine example of what can go wrong when one person is given too much power. He's a fine young man. “Did you hurt yourself?” “No, I'm fine.” Adverb She did fine on the test. My mother is doing fine, thank you. This'll do fine for now. She talks and walks so fine, just like a great lady.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
At night, the lighting dims and the menu switches over to fine coastal Italian. Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2024 This is not a restaurant that is interested in the prevailing idea that elegance is synonymous with subtlety, or that all a fine palate needs in the way of seasoning is cream and a touch of salt. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024 The recall campaign, meanwhile, scrambled to assure supporters that things were fine — and that the registrar’s actual projection, obtained by this news organization, would give them no reason to abandon optimism. Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024 The actor, 70, who had previously entered a not guilty plea, has been ordered to pay a fine totaling of $1,500 for the transgression, according to court documents filed on Thursday and obtained by PEOPLE. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 If people want to turn to a fiber supplement in these cases, Yancy said supplements such as psyllium husk are fine, so long as people follow instructions on the label. Kristen Fischer, Health, 15 Mar. 2024 Now, The Notebook is leaping off the page and onto the stage in a poignant new musical that is, without a doubt, its finest adaptation yet. EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 With new arrangements by the composer Timo Andres, and featuring three fine vocalists, the music carries the production, often leaving the dancers with little to do but mirror the lyrics. Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Lastly, the blue-chip art and fine jewelry auction from Macklowe Gallery began, including pieces by Jonas Wood, Will Cotton, Dana James, and Ed Ruscha. Erin Michelle Newberg, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2024
Adverb
For heavier, all-over coverage, your fingers work just fine for blending, but the brand recommends the small, dense Shadow Brush for more precise coverage. Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 If things have worked fine for decades, why risk it? Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 Britt declined to comment to IndyStar about pending legislation before the General Assembly, but government transparency advocates said the current process for the public access counselor to issue opinions works just fine. Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024 Contrary to stereotypes, much of Gen Z is doing just fine. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 As for Sebastian, the fourth-grader is healthy and doing just fine. Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2024 Despite a recent wave of misleading headlines, Simon Cowell’s doing just fine. Korin Miller, SELF, 7 Feb. 2024 Others, like Amazon Prime Video, have iPad apps that run fine on the Vision Pro. Not every iPad app works on the headset, though, and services like Netflix, Twitch, and YouTube can only be watched through a browser window. Will Greenwald, PCMAG, 5 Feb. 2024 Lee’s bat-to-ball skills should translate just fine. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
In 2022, iDeal Motors was banned from legally selling cars in Kansas and was fined more than $159,000 following an investigation into consumer complaints about the dealership, KWCH reported. USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 Owner Stephen Ross was fined $1.5 million and suspended, and Miami had to forfeit its 2023 first-round draft choice and its No. 2 in 2024. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2024 September 2022 – Google fined €4.12 billion ($4.13 billion) for using its Android mobile operating system to thwart rivals. April 2023 – Ireland’s data regulator fined TikTok €345 million ($377 million) for breaking EU data law in its handling of children’s accounts. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2024 Last year, Britain fined the short video-sharing app nearly $16 million for misusing children’s data and breaching its own age restriction for the platform’s users. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 15 Mar. 2024 Companies that don’t comply with the new rules can be fined up to 20 percent of their global turnover. Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 8 Mar. 2024 For a person who commits a second violation within five years from their first violation, current state law says they will be charged with a first degree misdemeanor, fined between $1,000 and $3,000 and would get their license revoked for 2 years. Alyssa Johnson, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 He was fined and is facing disciplinary proceedings that could affect his ability to practice law in Arizona related to Lake's challenge to Hobbs' victory. Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 Salah also has been detained twice by law enforcement in November and found to be in possession of a 9 mm handgun, court papers say, once in Texas in November where he was fined and released and days later in San Diego, where he was arrested and ordered held without bail. Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
Earlier this month, the European Union hit the company with a $2-billion fine, alleging that the company deliberately stifled Spotify and other music-streaming services on its platforms. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 In Europe, regulators recently punished Apple for preventing music streaming competitors from communicating with users about promotions and options to upgrade their subscriptions, levying a 1.8 billion-euro fine. Tripp Mickle, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 The company was hit with a €1.8 billion fine this month for shutting out music streaming rivals from offering cheaper deals. Anna Edgerton, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 The Federal Communications Commission has hit Nexstar Media Group and its business partner Mission Broadcasting with a $1.2 million fine and an order to sell WPIX-TV New York or other stations to come into compliance with longstanding station ownership limits. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 As Donald Trump faces dwindling options to pay off a massive fine imposed as a result of losing a fraud case in New York, financial experts say filing for bankruptcy would provide one clear way out of his financial jam. Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 On the face of it, that figure seems to imply that paying a fine even as large as nearly half a billion dollars shouldn’t be ruinous to him. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024 The Attorney’s Office had originally sought two years’ probation and a $5,000 fine. Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 The 27-nation bloc is flexing new regulatory powers acquired under the Digital Services Act, a sweeping set of regulations that took effect last year with the aim of cleaning up big online platforms and keeping users safe, under threat of hefty fines. Kelvin Chan, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English fin, fyne "of choice quality, superior, admirable, free from impurity, delicate," borrowed from Anglo-French fin, going back to Gallo-Romance *fīnus "extreme, ultimate," adjective derivative of Latin fīnis "boundary, limit, ending" — more at final entry 1

Adverb

Middle English fyne, derivative of fin, fyne fine entry 1

Noun (1)

Middle English fin, fyne "end, conclusion, final legal settlement relating to alienation of property, fee paid to complete a legal conveyance, money paid in lieu of judicial punishment," borrowed from Anglo-French fin, going back to Latin fīnis "boundary, limit, terminal point, ending" (Medieval Latin also, "legal settlement, agreement involving payment, payment in lieu of punishment") — more at final entry 1

Verb (1)

in part derivative of fine entry 3, in part continuing Middle English finen "to pay a fine," borrowed from Anglo-French finer "to pay as a fine, make a payment," verbal derivative of fin fine entry 3

Verb (2)

Middle English finen, derivative of fin, fyne fine entry 1

Noun (2)

borrowed from Italian, going back to Latin fīnis "boundary, limit, ending" — more at final entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7a

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb (1)

circa 1513, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1740, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fine was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near fine

Cite this Entry

“Fine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fine. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fine

1 of 5 noun
: a sum of money to be paid as a punishment

fine

2 of 5 verb
fined; fining
: to punish by a fine

fine

3 of 5 adjective
finer; finest
1
: free from impurity
2
a
: not thick, coarse, or dull
fine thread
fine sand
b
: small entry 1 sense 1
fine print
c
: done with extreme care and accuracy
fine measurement
3
: subtle sense 1b
a fine distinction
4
: excellent in quality or appearance
a fine spring day
5
: to one's liking : agreeable
that's fine with me
6
: very well
feel fine
finely adverb
fineness noun

fine

4 of 5 adverb
1
: in a fine manner
2
: very well
did fine on the test
I liked it fine

fine

5 of 5 noun
fi·​ne
ˈfē-(ˌ)nā
: end entry 1 sense 1b
used as a direction in music to mark the closing point after a repeat
Etymology

Noun

from earlier fine "a final agreement to settle a lawsuit," from Middle English fine "end, conclusion," from early French fin (same meaning), from Latin finis "end, limit" — related to final

Adjective

Middle English fin "pure, brought to perfection," from early French fin (same meaning), from Latin finis (noun) "end, limit" as in finis honorum "the height of honor, the highest honor"

Noun

Italian, from Latin finis "end, limit"

Medical Definition

fine

adjective
finer; finest
of bodily tremors
: of slight excursion

Legal Definition

fine

1 of 2 noun
1
: a sum imposed as punishment for an offense compare restitution
2
: a forfeiture or penalty paid to an injured party in a civil action

fine

2 of 2 transitive verb
fined; fining
: to impose a fine on : punish by fine
Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French fin, fine & Medieval Latin finis end, boundary, agreement, payment for release or privilege, monetary penalty, from Latin finis end, boundary

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