"refining" in the noun sense
1. refining, refinement, purification
the process of removing impurities (as from oil or metals or sugar etc.)
"refining" in the verb sense
1. polish, refine, fine-tune, down
improve or perfect by pruning or polishing
"refine one's style of writing"
2. complicate, refine, rarify, elaborate
make more complex, intricate, or richer
"refine a design or pattern"
3. refine
treat or prepare so as to put in a usable condition
"refine paper stock"
"refine pig iron"
"refine oil"
4. refine, rectify
reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state separate from extraneous matter or cleanse from impurities
"refine sugar"
5. refine
attenuate or reduce in vigor, strength, or intensity by polishing or purifying
"many valuable nutrients are refined out of the foods in our modern diet"
6. refine
make more precise or increase the discriminatory powers of
"refine a method of analysis"
"refine the constant in the equation"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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