polish off

verb

polished off; polishing off; polishes off

transitive verb

: to finish off or dispose of rapidly or completely

Examples of polish off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sheffield came back from 2-0 down to equalize but couldn't find another way back, with Danny Welbeck polishing off the win in injury time. Mattias Karen, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2024 By polishing off a home sweep of Colorado and No. 18 Utah, UCLA now has seven wins against ranked opponents. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Clingan's first collegiate 3-pointer with 15:32 left polished off a 12-0 run and gave UConn a 61-26 lead. Shelby Dermer, The Enquirer, 29 Jan. 2024 Queen Bey’s look was polished off with oversized sunglasses, a holographic Luar bag, and—of course—her cowboy hat. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2024 Jackson was sitting by himself, polishing off a Shake Shack hamburger in a neon-pink T-shirt emblazoned with the faces of Viki and Niki from One Life to Live. Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2024 Del Mar has been selected to cash in again in 2025, the first back-to-back host since Santa Anita polished off a three-year run in 2014. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2023 Which are all celebrity biographies, polished off with familiar music. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023 Polo Ralph Lauren Bellport medium leather and canvas tote This leather and canvas tote polishes off any look. Porter Simmons, Vogue, 24 Nov. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of polish off was in 1827

Dictionary Entries Near polish off

Cite this Entry

“Polish off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polish%20off. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

polish off

verb
: to finish off or dispose of rapidly or completely
polished off the whole meal

More from Merriam-Webster on polish off

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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