fine 1 (f?n)adj. fin·er, fin·est 1. a. Of superior quality, skill, or appearance: a fine day; a fine wine.b. Excellent in character or ability: a fine person; a fine writer.2. Very small in size, weight, or thickness: fine type; fine paper.3. a. Free from impurities.b. Metallurgy Containing pure metal in a specified proportion or amount: gold 21 carats fine.4. Very sharp; keen: a blade with a fine edge.5. Thin; slender: fine hairs.6. Carefully or delicately made or done: fine china. See Synonyms at exquisite.7. Consisting of very small particles; not coarse: fine dust.8. a. Marginally different or subtle: a fine difference.b. Able to make or detect effects of great subtlety or precision; sensitive: has a fine eye for color.9. Trained to the highest degree of physical efficiency: a fine racehorse.10. Characterized by refinement or elegance: people in the finest society.11. Satisfactory; acceptable: Handing in your paper on Monday is fine.12. Being in a state of satisfactory health; quite well: “How are you?” “I’m fine.”13. Used as an intensive: a fine mess.adv.1. Finely.2. Informal Very well: doing fine.tr. & intr.v. fined, fin·ing, fines To make or become finer, purer, or cleaner.[Middle English fin, from Old French, from Latin f?nis, end, supreme degree.]fine?ness n.fine 2 (f?n)n.1. A sum of money required to be paid especially to the government as a penalty for an offense.2. Obsolete An end; a termination.tr.v. fined, fin·ing, fines To require the payment of a fine from; impose a fine on.Idiom: in fine1. In conclusion; finally.2. In summation; in brief.[Middle English fin, from Old French, settlement, compensation, from Medieval Latin f?nis, from Latin, end.]fin?a·ble, fine?a·ble adj.fi·ne 3 (f??n?)n. Music The end.[Italian, from Latin f?nis, end.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.fine (fa?n) adj1. excellent or choice in quality; very good of its kind: a fine speech. 2. superior in skill, ability, or accomplishment: a fine violinist. 3. (of weather) clear and dry4. enjoyable or satisfying: a fine time. 5. (postpositive) informal quite well; in satisfactory health: I feel fine. 6. satisfactory; acceptable: that’s fine by me. 7. of delicate composition or careful workmanship: fine crystal. 8. (Metallurgy) (of precious metals) pure or having a high or specified degree of purity: fine silver; gold 98 per cent fine. 9. subtle in perception; discriminating: a fine eye for antique brasses. 10. abstruse or subtle: a fine point in argument. 11. very thin or slender: fine hair. 12. very small: fine dust; fine print. 13. (of edges, blades, etc) sharp; keen14. ornate, showy, or smart15. good-looking; handsome: a fine young woman. 16. polished, elegant, or refined: a fine gentleman. 17. morally upright and commendable: a fine man. 18. (Cricket) cricket (of a fielding position) oblique to and behind the wicket: fine leg. 19. (prenominal) informal disappointing or terrible: a fine mess. adv20. informal quite well; all right: that suits me fine. 21. a nonstandard word for finely22. (Billiards & Snooker) billiards snooker (of a stroke on the cue ball) so as to merely brush the object ball23. cut it fine to allow little margin of time, space, etcvb24. to make or become finer; refine25. (often foll by: down or away) to make or become smaller26. (Brewing) (tr) to clarify (wine, etc) by adding finings27. (Billiards & Snooker) (tr) billiards snooker to hit (a cue ball) fine28. informal (foll by: up) Austral and NZ (of the weather) to become fine[C13: from Old French fin, from Latin f?nis end, boundary, as in f?nis hon?rum the highest degree of honour]fine (fa?n) n1. a certain amount of money exacted as a penalty: a parking fine. 2. (Law) a payment made by a tenant at the start of his tenancy to reduce his subsequent rent; premium3. (Law) feudal law a sum of money paid by a man to his lord, esp for the privilege of transferring his land to another4. (Law) a method of transferring land in England by bringing a fictitious law suit: abolished 18335. in fine a. in short; brieflyb. in conclusion; finallyvb (tr) to impose a fine on[C12 (in the sense: conclusion, settlement): from Old French fin; see fine1]fine (?fi?ne?) n1. (Music, other) the point at which a piece is to end, usually after a da capo or dal segno2. (Music, other) an ending or finale[Italian, from Latin f?nis end]fine (fin) n (Brewing) brandy of ordinary quality[literally: fine]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014fine1 (fa?n) adj. fin?er, fin?est, adj. 1. of superior or best quality; of high or highest grade; excellent: fine wine. 2. consisting of minute particles: fine sand. 3. very thin; slender: fine thread. 4. keen; sharp, as a tool. 5. delicate in texture or workmanship: fine cotton. 6. highly skilled; accomplished: a fine musician. 7. trained to the maximum degree, as an athlete. 8. characterized by refinement or elegance; polished; refined: fine manners. 9. affectedly ornate or elegant. 10. delicate; subtle: a fine distinction. 11. healthy; well. 12. elegant in appearance; smart. 13. good-looking; handsome: a fine young man. 14. (of a precious metal or its alloy) free from impurities; containing a large amount of pure metal. adv. 15. Informal. excellently; very well. 16. finely; delicately: fine wrought lettering. v.i. 17. to become fine or finer, as by refining. v.t. 18. to make fine or finer, esp. by refining or pulverizing. 19. to reduce the size or proportions of (often used with down or away): to fine down heavy features. 20. to clarify (wines or spirits) by filtration. [1250?1300; Middle English fin Fine is usually an adjective, but in conversation you can also use it as an adverb. Fine has three main meanings.You can use it to say that something is very good or impressive.When you use fine like this, you can use words such as very or extremely in front of it.You can’t use fine as an adverb with this meaning, but you can use the adverb finely in front of an -ed participle.You can also use fine to say that something is satisfactory or acceptable.If you say that you are fine, you mean that your health is satisfactory.When you use fine to mean ‘satisfactory’, don’t use ‘very’ in front of it. However, you can use just.In conversation, you can use fine as an adverb to mean ‘satisfactorily’ or ‘well’.Be Careful!Don’t use ‘finely’ in sentences like these. Don’t say, for example, ‘We got on finely’.You can also use fine to say that something is very narrow, or consists of very small or narrow parts.When you use fine like this, you can use words such as very in front of it.You can use finely as an adverb with this meaning.