extinguish
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to put out (a fire, light, etc.); put out the flame of (something burning or lighted).
to extinguish a candle.
-
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.
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)
Other Word Forms
- extinguishable adjective
- extinguisher noun
- extinguishment noun
- nonextinguishable adjective
- nonextinguished adjective
- preextinguish verb (used with object)
- preextinguishment noun
- self-extinguishing adjective
- unextinguishable adjective
- unextinguished adjective
Etymology
Origin of extinguish
1535–45; < Latin ex ( s ) tingu ( ere ) ( ex- ex- 1 + stinguere to quench) + -ish 2
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.
Bitcoin dropped back below a key level early Monday, extinguishing hopes that last week’s mini-rebound would become a full-fledged comeback.
From Barron's
Turkish authorities said they had been assisting the vessels, and released footage showing two of its own boats trying to extinguish the fire on the Kairos.
From BBC
With the fire largely extinguished on Friday, Fung asked the police whether officers had entered the flat in question, which was in the first of seven high-rises that burned.
From Barron's
The Palisades fire broke out on Jan. 7 and wasn’t fully extinguished until the end of the month.
From Los Angeles Times
The report said Anduril had tried to put out the flames with its own vehicle, but three trucks from the local fire department had to be brought in to extinguish the fire.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
