fine

1 of 6

adjective

ˈfīn

finer; finest

Synonyms of fine next

: all right

that's fine with me

: well or healthy : not sick or injured

feel fine

: superior in kind, quality, or appearance : excellent

a fine job

a fine day

fine wines

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

: physically trained or hardened close to the limit of efficiency

—used of an athlete or animal

: delicate, subtle, or sensitive in quality, perception, or discrimination

a fine distinction

: ornate sense 1

fine writing

: marked by or affecting elegance or refinement

fine manners

—used as an intensive

the leader, in a fine frenzy, beheaded one of his wives—

Brian Crozier

: free from impurity

of a metal : having a stated proportion of pure metal in the composition expressed in parts per thousand

a gold coin .9166 fine

fineness

ˈfīn-nəs

noun

fine

2 of 6

adverb

: finely: such as

: very well

: all right

: with a very narrow margin of time or space

she had not intended to cut her escape so fine—

Melinda Beck et al.

fine

3 of 6

noun (1)

: a sum imposed as punishment for an offense

The motorist had to pay a fine for speeding.

: a forfeiture or penalty paid to an injured party in a civil action

: a compromise of a fictitious suit used as a form of conveyance of lands

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

: purify, clarify

fine and filter wine

: to make finer in quality or size

intransitive verb

: to become pure or clear

the ale will fine

: to become smaller in lines or proportions

fine

6 of 6

noun (2)

fi·ne ˈfē-(ˌ)nā

: end

—used as a direction in music to mark the closing point after a repeat

Phrases

in fine

: in short

Example Sentences

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

That works fine where the sun rises high in the sky at midday. —

John Landreneau, IEEE Spectrum, 24 June 2023 Granted, Adolis García, Travis Jankowski and Leody Taveras have held it down just fine for a Rangers offense that was hitting historic numbers at the start of June until coming closer to Earth. —

Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 21 June 2023 Jacobson says her loved one ended up fine despite the negative experience with the line. —

Eli Cahan, ABC News, 19 June 2023 Actually, all of these outfits and accessories would probably play just fine at the Open. —

Desiree Rios, New York Times, 8 May 2023 The bourbon sips just fine on its own, but would probably work well in an Old Fashioned, particularly given its slightly higher than average 92 proof. —

Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2023 Once the parameters were fine tuned, a piston at one end of the tank generated waves that interacted with the cylinders. —

Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Apr. 2023 However, most don’t need WiFI capability and can work fine or even exceedingly well without them–our top pick included. —

Alida Nugent, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Mar. 2023 So even if the pandemic heights of their wealth might slowly be falling, billionaires are still doing just fine. —

Chloe Berger, Fortune, 15 June 2023

Verb

He was fined $25,000 for failing to make himself to the available to the media following each of their three losses in Los Angeles. —

oregonlive, 1 July 2023 Businesses that violate the law can be fined, among other things. —

Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 1 July 2023 Violators will be fined $1,000 for their first violation, $1,500 for the second and $2,000 for each subsequent violation. —

Corey Schmidt, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2023 Last year, two Australian visitors were fined $1,500 each after riding motorized surfboards in the Grand Canal. —

Andrew Jeong, Anchorage Daily News, 28 June 2023 Swimmers can be fined for going in water with double flags According to the Panama City Beach Herald, the city employs about 20 lifeguards who patrol nine miles of beaches within the PCB limit. —

Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 27 June 2023 An American dentist and big-game hunter is found guilty of killing his wife on their African safari On Friday, she was sentenced to 17 years in prison and fined $250,000, according to federal judge William J. Martinez’s sentencing order. —

Rebekah Riess, CNN, 24 June 2023 The audit request from shareholders puts pressure on McDonald’s to take responsibility for the flurry of child labor violations in its U.S. restaurants, where so far only its franchises have been fined. —

Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 23 June 2023 Most recently, the organization fined both Amazon and its smart home security subsidiary, Ring, to the tune of $30 million, citing data mismanagement as well as violations to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). —

Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 June 2023

Noun

Efforts to improve a compliance program after a violation occurred could be considered a mitigating factor leading to a lower fine, according to the guidance. —

Dylan Tokar, WSJ, 10 Sep. 2020 Houston hitting coach Álex Cintrón received a 20-game suspension and a fine. —

Janie McCauley, Houston Chronicle, 9 Sep. 2020 The Magic, Thunder, Rockets, Lakers and Trail Blazers, all scheduled to play Wednesday, apparently were prepared to sacrifice a game check and a fine. —

Mike Finger, ExpressNews.com, 26 Aug. 2020 Those who fail to comply may be subject to a $2,000 fine and be ordered to complete mandatory quarantine, according to the state's website. —

Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2020 As part of his sentence, Giannulli will also pay a $250,000 fine and serve 250 hours of community service. —

Steve Helling, PEOPLE.com, 21 Aug. 2020 Under the plea deal, Giannulli would also pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service. —

Alanna Durkin Richer, chicagotribune.com, 21 Aug. 2020 In Minnesota, first-time possession of less than 42.5 grams of marijuana was decriminalized to a petty misdemeanor in 1970, punishable by a $200 fine. —

Zoë Jackson, Star Tribune, 8 Aug. 2020 All of the counts also carry a maximum fine of $250,000 per count, according to authorities. —

Ryan Parker, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Aug. 2020 See More

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

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fine. Accessed 9 Jul. 2023.

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Kids Definition

fine

1 of 5 noun

ˈfīn

: 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

: free from impurity

: not thick, coarse, or dull

fine thread

fine sand

: small entry 1 sense 1

fine print

: done with extreme care and accuracy

fine measurement

: subtle sense 1b

a fine distinction

: excellent in quality or appearance

a fine spring day

: to one's liking : agreeable

that's fine with me

: very well

feel fine

finely adverb

fineness

ˈfīn-nəs

noun

fine

4 of 5 adverb

: in a fine manner

: 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

ˈfīn

finer; finest

of bodily tremors

: of slight excursion

Legal Definition

fine

1 of 2 noun

: a sum imposed as punishment for an offense compare restitution

: 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