tarnish
verb /ˈtɑːnɪʃ/
/ˈtɑːrnɪʃ/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they tarnish | /ˈtɑːnɪʃ/ /ˈtɑːrnɪʃ/ |
| he / she / it tarnishes | /ˈtɑːnɪʃɪz/ /ˈtɑːrnɪʃɪz/ |
| past simple tarnished | /ˈtɑːnɪʃt/ /ˈtɑːrnɪʃt/ |
| past participle tarnished | /ˈtɑːnɪʃt/ /ˈtɑːrnɪʃt/ |
| -ing form tarnishing | /ˈtɑːnɪʃɪŋ/ /ˈtɑːrnɪʃɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] if metal tarnishes or something tarnishes it, it no longer looks bright and shiny
- The mirrors had tarnished with age.
- tarnish something The silver candlesticks were tarnished and dusty.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- badly
- slightly
- [transitive, often passive] to damage the good opinion people have of somebody/something synonym taint
- be tarnished Reputations can be easily tarnished.
- He hopes to improve the newspaper's somewhat tarnished public image.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- severely
- slightly
- somewhat
- …
Word Originlate Middle English (as a verb): from French terniss-, lengthened stem of ternir, from terne ‘dark, dull’.