Synonyms

extinguish

American

[ik-sting-gwish] / ɪkˈstɪŋ gwɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

to put out (a fire, light, etc.); put out the flame of (something burning or lighted).

to extinguish a candle.

Synonyms:

smother, quench

Antonyms:

ignite, light
to put an end to or bring to an end; wipe out of existence; annihilate.

to extinguish hope.
to obscure or eclipse, as by superior brilliance.
Law. to discharge (a debt), as by payment.

extinguish British

/ ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ /

verb

to put out or quench (a light, flames, etc)
to remove or destroy entirely; annihilate
archaic to eclipse or obscure by or as if by superior brilliance
law to discharge (a debt)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of extinguish

1535–45; < Latin ex ( s ) tingu ( ere ) ( ex- ex- ¹ + stinguere to quench) + -ish ²

Explanation

To extinguish something means to put an end to it, and get rid of it completely. Water can extinguish a fire; nasty smells can extinguish your appetite. Extinguish comes from the Latin word for quench, but while we might think that quenching something, say our thirst, is good, the word extinguish often has sinister overtones. In a genocide, one group tries to extinguish another — too quench their hatred, by killing everyone in the other group.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

extinguish extinguishes extinguished extinguishing

"The longer you leave it, the more fuel there is to burn, so the fire is naturally going to be bigger and harder to extinguish," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

At the same time, Resco de Dios said, in recent decades there has been a concerted effort in Spain and France, as in California, to extinguish fires as soon as they start.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Some 100 firefighters, backed by specialist aircraft, are reported to be trying to extinguish the blaze.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

It took more 60 firefighters to extinguish the blaze Monday morning, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

He closed his eyes, blocking out her tears, but he couldn’t extinguish the anguished sounds.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Navy in the 1960s, the foams form an aqueous film around burning gasoline and other flammable liquids, which quickly deprives the fire of oxygen and extinguishes it.

From Science Daily ● May 9, 2024

“The Sackler release extinguishes the claims of all opioid claimants except the United States, and therefore applies to an untold number of claimants who did not specifically consent to the release’s terms,” Ms. Prelogar wrote.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 29, 2023

One of the more subtle things that we added is showing how Ember extinguishes, disappears and comes back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

That extinguishes sunlight from reaching a narrow corridor of Earth, transforming day to night.

From Washington Post ● May 11, 2022

Masjid throws me a glance of surprise in the rearview mirror, and I catch a faint glimmer of a smile that he quickly extinguishes.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

Since the fire was extinguished, Lineage has been tasked with removing roughly 88 million pounds of spoiled and decomposing food, along with fire and demolition debris.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Combined with high winds, that makes for fire that spreads too quickly to be extinguished.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

While most cabin fires are quickly extinguished, overheating incidents are now frequently disrupting flights.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

According to the department, adults nearby extinguished the flames by pouring water on the children until paramedics arrived.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

They needed to solve an insight problem, but their powers of insight had been extinguished.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Firefighters were also seen extinguishing a fire in the tower.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

"Emergency services rushed to the scene and found the vehicle completely engulfed in flames. Firefighters carried out rescue and extinguishing operations. A security perimeter was set up," a police statement said.

From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026

But it remains unclear whether those procedures in any way restricted firefighters from fully extinguishing the Lachman fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2025

Selling the house and extinguishing all outstanding debts and using the remainder to pay cash for a smaller house is a great idea, especially if you are lacking sufficient investments to see you through retirement.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 14, 2025

It is a curious feature of our existence that we come from a planet that is very good at promoting life but even better at extinguishing it.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023