/ faɪn; NAmE / adjective , adverb , noun , verb
■ adjective
( finer , fin·est )
VERY GOOD
1.
[ usually before noun ] of high quality; good :
a very fine performance
fine clothes / wines / workmanship
a particularly fine example of Saxon architecture
Jim has made a fine job of the garden.
people who enjoy the finer things in life (= for example art, good food, etc.)
He tried to appeal to their finer feelings (= feelings of duty, love, etc.) .
It was his finest hour (= most successful period) as manager of the England team.
VERY WELL
2.
( of a person ) in good health :
'How are you?' 'Fine, thanks.'
I was feeling fine when I got up this morning.
➡ note at well
ACCEPTABLE / GOOD ENOUGH
3.
(also used as an exclamation) used to tell sb that an action, a suggestion or a decision is acceptable :
'I'll leave this here, OK?' 'Fine.'
'Bob wants to know if he can come too.' ' That's fine by me .'
4.
used to say you are satisfied with sth :
Don't worry. Your speech was fine.
You go on without me. I'll be fine .
'Can I get you another drink?' 'No, thanks. I'm fine .'
( ironic )
This is a fine (= terrible) mess we're in!
( ironic )
You're a fine one to talk ! (= you are not in a position to criticize, give advice, etc.)
ATTRACTIVE
5.
[ usually before noun ] pleasing to look at :
a fine view
a fine-looking woman
a fine figure of a man
DELICATE
6.
[ usually before noun ] attractive and delicate :
fine bone china
She has inherited her mother's fine features (= a small nose, mouth, etc.) .
WEATHER
7.
( especially BrE ) bright and not raining :
a fine day / evening
I hope it stays fine for the picnic.
VERY THIN
8.
very thin or narrow :
fine blond hair
a fine thread
a brush with a fine tip
DETAIL / DISTINCTIONS
9.
[ usually before noun ] difficult to see or describe
SYN subtle :
You really need a magnifying glass to appreciate all the fine detail.
There's no need to make such fine distinctions .
There's a fine line between love and hate (= it is easy for one to become the other) .
WITH SMALL GRAINS
10.
made of very small grains :
fine sand
Use a finer piece of sandpaper to finish.
OPP coarse
PERSON
11.
[ only before noun ] that you have a lot of respect for :
He was a fine man.
WORDS / SPEECHES
12.
sounding important and impressive but unlikely to have any effect :
His speech was full of fine words which meant nothing.
METALS
13.
( technical ) containing only a particular metal and no other substances that reduce the quality :
fine gold
•
IDIOMS
- get sth down to a fine art
- not to put too fine a point on it
—more at chance noun , fettle , line noun
■ adverb
( informal ) in a way that is acceptable or good enough :
Keep going like that—you're doing fine .
Things were going fine until you showed up.
That arrangement suits me fine .
( BrE )
An omelette will do me fine (= will be enough for me) .
•
IDIOMS
- cut it / things fine
■ noun
a sum of money that must be paid as punishment for breaking a law or rule :
a parking fine
Offenders will be liable to a heavy fine (= one that costs a lot of money) .
She has already paid over $2 000 in fines.
■ verb
[ often passive ] fine sb (sth) (for sth / for doing sth) to make sb pay money as an official punishment :
[ vn ]
She was fined for speeding.
[ vnn ]
The company was fined £20 000 for breaching safety regulations.
••
WORD ORIGIN
adverb and adjective Middle English : from Old French fin , based on Latin finire to finish, from finis end.
verb and noun Middle English : from Old French fin end, payment, from Latin finis end (in medieval Latin denoting a sum paid on settling a lawsuit). The original sense was conclusion (surviving in the phrase in fine ); also used in the medieval Latin sense, the word came to denote a penalty of any kind, later specifically a monetary penalty.