fine Definition

fine¹
adj

1. Of high quality; excellent; splendid.

Thesaurus: well-made, supreme, exquisite, select, elegant, tasteful, fashionable, exceptional, excellent, first-rate, masterly.
2. Beautiful; handsome.
3. facetious
Grand; superior.
Example: her fine relations
4. Said of weather: bright; not rainy.
5. Well; healthy.
6. Quite satisfactory.

Example: That's fine by me
7. Pure; refined.
8. Thin; delicate.

Thesaurus: light, dainty, delicate, fragile, gossamer.
9. Close-set in texture or arrangement.
10. Consisting of tiny particles.
11. Intricately detailed.

Example: fine embroidery
12. Slight; subtle.

Example: fine adjustments

adverb

1. colloq
Satisfactorily.
2. Finely; into fine pieces.

Derivative: finely
adverb

Derivative: fineness
noun

Idiom: cut it fine (run it fine)

colloq
To leave barely enough time for something.

Idiom: fine and dandy

Working or doing well; OK now; in order after there has been a problem.

Idiom: get something down to a fine art

To find the most efficient way of doing it.

Idiom: not to put too fine a point on it

Used as an introductory expression before speaking honestly or bluntly.

Etymology: 13c: from French fin end, in the sense of ‘boundary or limit'.

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fine²
noun

1. An amount of money to be paid as a penalty, constituting a punishment for breaking a regulation or law.

Thesaurus: penalty, punishment, damages, amercement.

verb

fined, fining
1. To impose a fine on someone.

Thesaurus: penalize, punish, sting, mulct, amerce.

Idiom: in fine

In total; to sum up.

Etymology: 12c: from French fin end, settlement or ending a dispute.