To shine; to make a surface very smooth or shiny by rubbing, cleaning, or grinding.
Example: "He polished up the chrome until it gleamed."
To refine; remove imperfections from.
Example: "The band has polished its performance since the last concert."
To apply shoe polish to shoes.
To become smooth, as from friction; to receive a gloss; to take a smooth and glossy surface.
Example: "Steel polishes well."
To refine; to wear off the rudeness, coarseness, or rusticity of; to make elegant and polite.
That makes shiny or smooth.
That refines.