Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A shiny finish put on a pair of shoes by brushing and buffing with polish.
  • noun The act or an instance of putting a shiny finish on shoes.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act of polishing shoes.
  • noun The shiny finish on shoes that have been polished.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a shiny finish put on shoes with polish and buffing
  • noun the act of shining shoes

Etymologies

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Examples

  • A sister-in-law who preceded her in the shoeshine business spent a week teaching her the trade.

    A New Yorker Who Shines Ralph Gardner Jr. 2010

  • There are segments on poverty and its effects, including one of the recurring characters, a 9-year-old shoeshine boy in Latin America.

    Marshall Fine: HuffPost Review: Life in a Day Marshall Fine 2011

  • Another threat to his business, he explained, are customers who work in Midtown or Wall Street, where the shoeshine men are willing to shine your shoes at your desk.

    A New Yorker Who Shines Ralph Gardner Jr. 2010

  • "It's not too hard, compared to another work," she said of the shoeshine business, even though she admitted that by evening her fingers no longer function.

    A New Yorker Who Shines Ralph Gardner Jr. 2010

  • One can't help but experience a sense of well-being while reading "Page Six" of the shoeshine shop's New York Post and watching riders emerge from underground in waves.

    A New Yorker Who Shines Ralph Gardner Jr. 2010

  • But what may be most remarkable about her is that her impeccable standards never flag, no matter how late in the day, no matter how tired, no matter how many customers are waiting their turn to mount one of the shop's three shoeshine thrones.

    A New Yorker Who Shines Ralph Gardner Jr. 2010

  • The shoeshine stand had a small pile of boxed galoshes for sale: Totes and Tingley's at about $25.

    The Time May Be Right for Galoshes to Make a Splash Again Barry Newman 2011

  • Who has not used the services of a shoeshine boy or a young caretaker of cars?

    Global Voices in English » Latin America: The Problem of Child Labor – Part I 2009

  • They're on sale in stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Allen Edmonds, not at shoeshine stands.

    The Time May Be Right for Galoshes to Make a Splash Again Barry Newman 2011

  • I'm thinking, in particular, of Jenny Gomez, who shines shoes at 77th Shoe Repair, a shoeshine shop situated at the top of the No. 6 line subway stairs just off the northeast corner of 77th Street and Lexington Avenue.

    A New Yorker Who Shines Ralph Gardner Jr. 2010

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