finish Hear it!

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finish definition

fin·ish (finis̸h)

transitive verb

    1. to bring to an end; complete to finish the work
    2. to come to the end of to finish a book
  1. to use up; consume entirely finish your milk
  2. to give final touches to; embellish or perfect
  3. to treat (a cut edge, esp. of a garment), as by pinking, serging, or binding, in order to prevent raveling
  4. to give (cloth, leather, wood, etc.) a desired surface effect
    1. to cause the defeat, collapse, death, etc. of
    2. to render worthless, useless, helpless, etc.

Etymology: ME finishen < extended stem of OFr finir < L finire, to end < finis, an end, limit, orig., boundary (post), something fixed in the ground < IE base *dhīgw-, to stick in > dike, L figere, fix

intransitive verb

  1. to come to an end; terminate
  2. to complete something being done
  3. to complete a contest in a specified position to finish last

noun

  1. the last part; end
  2. anything used to give a desired surface effect, as paint, varnish, polish, wax, etc.
  3. completeness; perfection
  4. the manner or method of completion
  5. the way in which the surface, as of furniture, is painted, varnished, smoothed, polished, etc.
  6. refinement as in manners, speech, etc.; polish in social or cultural matters
  7. defeat, collapse, etc. or that which brings it about; downfall
  8. the taste a wine leaves in the mouth after it has been swallowed
  9. Carpentry joiner work, as the installation of doors, stairs, panels, etc., which completes the interior of a building

Related Forms:

finish Idioms

finish off

  1. to end or complete
  2. to kill or destroy

finish up

  1. to end or complete
  2. to consume all of

finish with

  1. to end or complete
  2. to end relations with; become indifferent to

in at the finish

being present or taking part at the conclusion, as of a contest

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
finish Synonyms

finish

n.

  1. The end

    close, termination, ending; see end 2.

  2. An applied surface

    shine, polish, burnish, glaze, surface, coating.

    Finishes include: shellac, shellack, oil, turpentine, lacquer, size, stain, varnish, polish, wall paper, wash, whitewash, alabastine, calcimine, paint, casein paint, flat paint, cold-water paint, Bakelite enamel (trademark), tung-oil, enamel, gold leaf, aluminum paint, anticorrosion paint, wax, veneer, japan, cement, stucco, megilp, luster.


finish

v.

  1. To bring to an end

    complete, conclude, end, perfect; see achieve 1, end 1.

  2. To develop a surface

    polish, wax, stain; see decorate, spread 4, varnish.

  3. *To cause the defeat or death of

    annihilate, worst, finish off, destroy; see defeat 2, 3, destroy 1, kill 1.

  4. To come to an end

    cease, close, end, terminate; see stop 2.

  5. To consume entirely

    use up, dispatch, polish off*; see consume 2, drink 1, eat 1. See syn. study at end.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

finish Usage Examples

Object

  • runner-up: So we can do not hold finishing runner-up to.

Preposition: at

  • 5pm: The seminar will begin with a buffet lunch at 12.30 pm and finish at 5pm with a glass of champagne.

Adjective modifier

  • matt: Plus Points: A fine textured cream with a matt finish, suitable for all skin types.

Adjective complement

  • fourth: Tom Richards also finished fourth in both his finals.

Noun used with modifier

  • podium: Ben, Rachel Green and Simon Crompton all claimed podium finishes on that occasion.

Followed by a transitive particle

  • off: We finished off the camping with a lovely camp fire.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • off: Why not finish off your trail with a cooling drink or a winter warmer?
finish usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

finish quotes

There are two golden rules for an orchestra: start together and finish together. The public doesn't give a damn what goes on in between.

-Beecham, SirThomas

A test of a first-rate work, and a test of your sincerity in calling it a first-rate work, is that you finish it.

-Bennett, (Enoch) Arnold

   I have got the North Pole out of my system after twenty- three years of effort, hard work, disappointments, hardships, privations, more or less suffering, and some risks† The work is the finish, the cap and climax of nearly four hundred years of effort, loss of life, and expenditure of fortunes by the civilized nations of the world, and it has been accomplished in a way that is thoroughly American. I am content.

-Peary, Robert Edwin

finish quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"finish." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/finish>

APA Style

finish. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/finish

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