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complete Definition

com·plete (kəm plēt′)

adjective

  1. lacking no component part; full; whole; entire
  2. brought to a conclusion; ended; finished
  3. thorough; absolute to have complete confidence in someone
  4. accomplished; skilled; consummate

Etymology: ME & OFr complet < L completus, pp. of complere, to fill up, complete < com-, intens. + plere, to fill: see full

transitive verb completed -·plet′ed, completing -·plet′·ing

  1. to end; finish; conclude
  2. to make whole, full, or perfect
  3. to successfully execute or effect to complete a telephone call, complete a forward pass

Related Forms:

complete Synonyms

complete

modif.

  1. Not lacking in any part

    full, whole, entire, total, intact, replete, unimpaired, undivided, unabridged, uncut, unbroken, comprehensive, exhaustive; see also full 1, 3, whole 1.

  2. Finished

    concluded, terminated, ended; see finished 1.

  3. Thorough

    thoroughgoing, absolute, total; see absolute.

  4. Perfect

    flawless, consummate, impeccable; see perfect 2, whole 2.

complete implies inclusion of all that is needed for the integrity, perfection, or fulfillment of something a complete set, complete control; full implies the inclusion of all that is needed a full dozen or all that can be held, achieved, etc. in full bloom; total implies an adding together of everything without exception the total number and is, in general applications, equivalent to completetotal abstinence; whole and entire imply unbroken unity, stressing that not a single part, individual, instance, etc. has been omitted or diminished the whole student body, one's entire attention; intact is applied to that which remains whole after passing through an experience that might have impaired it the tornado left the barn intact

complete Synonyms

complete

v.

  1. To make entire

    execute, consummate, perfect, accomplish, realize, perform, achieve, fill out, fulfill, supplement, complement, effectuate, equip, actualize, furnish, make, make up, elaborate, make good, bring to fullness, bring to completion, bring to fruition, bring to maturity, make complete, develop, fill in, refine, effect, carry out, carry off, crown, go through with, get through, cap, culminate, round out; see also build 1, create 2, form 1.

  2. To bring to an end

    finish, conclude, close; see achieve 1, end 1, perform 1. See syn. study at end.

complete Usage Examples

Object

  • questionnaire: Your views count Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the questionnaire included with the last hard copy edition of Oasis.
  • form: You may be asked to complete a simple form or a member of staff may enter details directly onto the library computer system.

Modifying Another Word

  • successfully: Students who successfully complete the general pathway will be awarded the BSc Business Administration.

Modifies a noun

  • beginner: Programs are on offer to satisfy all standards of golfers ranging from the complete beginner, to low handicap players.
  • list: I don't need to run off the complete list of previous work he's done.
  • listing: Search by athlete name or browse by event for a complete listing.
  • package: You may also link your race night with a Karaoke or quiz, to provide a complete entertainment package.
  • stranger: Camaraderie among the climbers is captured well and in no time you'll find yourself rooting for complete strangers!
  • solution: The new range accompanies the recent launch of commercial condensing units to provide a complete refrigeration solution for the industry.

Used with adjective complement

  • come: The lights come complete with a 12 month manufacturer's warranty.

Present participle complement

  • depend: A puzzle can take from 20 minutes to 2 hours to complete depending on its level and your experience.

Preposition: with

  • instruction: A lovely edition of the classic game Old Maid, the pack of cards are beautifully illustrated and the game is complete with instructions.

Preposition: by

  • end: Work is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2005.
complete Quotes

   Yet when I approach 584 Her loveliness, so absolute she seems And in herself complete, so well to know Her own, that what she wills to do or say, Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best.

—Milton,John

There was a muddy centre before we breathed There was a myth before the myth began, Venerable and articulate and complete.

—Stevens,Wallace

Disillusionment inliving isthefindingout nobodyagrees with you . . .Complete disillusionment is when you realise that no one can for they can't change.

—Stein, Gertrude

One's complete sentences are attempts, as often as not, to complete an incomplete self with words.

—Gass,William H(oward)

Experience isnever limited, and it isnever complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching everyair-borne particle in its tissue.

—James, Henry

That nothing walks with aimless feet; That not one life shall be destroyed, Or cast as rubbish to the void, When God hath made the pile complete.

—Tennyson

To live out of doors with the woman a man loves is of all lives the most complete and free.

—Stevenson, Robert Louis