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polish off

B1 informal separable transitive
In simple words

To eat all of something or finish a job quickly until nothing is left.

Literal meaning: To remove all tarnish ('polish') from a surface until it is clean ('off') — the idiomatic leap is that the object is fully consumed or completed.

Meanings

1 B1 idiomatic informal

To eat or drink all of something, especially quickly.

"The kids polished off the entire birthday cake before the adults even sat down."

"He polished off a plate of spaghetti in about four minutes."

Grammar: separable
2 B1 idiomatic informal

To complete a task or piece of work quickly and thoroughly.

"She polished off the last three reports before leaving the office."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal

To defeat an opponent or rival decisively and with ease.

"The champion polished off his challenger in the third round."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Very common in informal British and American English. Most often used for food (eating everything on a plate) or tasks (completing them swiftly). Can also be used informally to mean defeating an opponent easily.

Commonly used with

meal food leftovers task bottle opponent

Forms

Base
polish off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
polishes off
he/she/it
Past simple
polished off
yesterday
Past participle
polished off
have + pp
-ing form
polishing off
continuous

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