complete

American  

[kuhm-pleet] / kəmˈplit /

adjective

1. having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full.

   a complete set of Mark Twain's writings.

   Synonyms:

   unbroken

   Antonyms:

   partial

2. finished; ended; concluded.

   a complete orbit.

3. having all the required or customary characteristics, skills, or the like; consummate; perfect in kind or quality.

   a complete scholar.

   Antonyms:

   defective

4. thorough; entire; total; undivided, uncompromised, or unmodified.

   a complete victory;

   a complete mess.

5. Grammar. having all modifying or complementary elements included.

   The complete subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “The dappled pony.”

6. Football. Also completed. (of a forward pass) caught by a receiver.

7. Logic. (of a set of axioms) such that every true proposition able to be formulated in terms of the basic ideas of a given system is deducible from the set.

8. Engineering. noting a determinate truss having the least number of members required to connect the panel points so as to form a system of triangles.

9. (of persons) accomplished; skilled; expert.

10. Mathematics.

    1. of or relating to an algebraic system, as a field with an order relation defined on it, in which every set of elements of the system has a least upper bound.

    2. of or relating to a set in which every fundamental sequence converges to an element of the set.

    3. (of a lattice) having the property that every subset has a least upper bound and a greatest lower bound.

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verb (used with object)

completes, present (3rd person singular) completed, past participle, past completing present participle

1. to make whole or entire.

   I need three more words to complete the puzzle.

   Synonyms:

   close, conclude, terminate, achieve, accomplish, perfect, consummate

2. to make perfect.

   His parting look of impotent rage completed my revenge.

3. to bring to an end; finish.

   Has he completed his new novel yet?

4. to consummate.

5. Football. to execute (a forward pass) successfully.

   He completed 17 passes in 33 attempts.

complete British  

/ kəmˈpliːt /

adjective

1. having every necessary part or element; entire

2. ended; finished

3. (prenominal) thorough; absolute

   he is a complete rogue

4. perfect in quality or kind

   he is a complete scholar

5. (of a logical system) constituted such that a contradiction arises on the addition of any proposition that cannot be deduced from the axioms of the system Compare consistent

6. (of flowers) having sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels

7. archaic expert or skilled; accomplished

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verb

1. to make whole or perfect

2. to end; finish

3. (in land law) to pay any outstanding balance on a contract for the conveyance of land in exchange for the title deeds, so that the ownership of the land changes hands

4. American football (of a quarterback) to make a forward pass successfully

Usage

Occasionally there are objections to modifying complete with qualifiers like almost, more, most, nearly, and quite, because they suggest that complete is relative rather than absolute: an almost complete record; a more complete proposal; the most complete list available. However, such uses are fully standard and occur regularly in all varieties of spoken and written English. See also perfect, unique.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• completedness
  noun
• completeness
  noun
• completer
  noun
• completion
  noun
• precompleteness
  noun
• subcompleteness
  noun
• uncompleteness
  noun
• completable
  adjective
• completive
  adjective
• half-completed
  adjective
• quasi-complete
  adjective
• subcomplete
  adjective
• uncompletable
  adjective
• uncomplete
  adjective
• uncompleted
  adjective
• well-completed
  adjective
• completely
  adverb
• completively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• completing
  present
• completed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• complete
  simple
• completes
  simple
• have completed
  perfect
• has completed
  perfect
• am completing
  progressive
• are completing
  progressive
• is completing
  progressive
• have been completing
  perfect progressive
• has been completing
  perfect progressive

Past

• completed
  simple
• had completed
  perfect
• was completing
  progressive
• were completing
  progressive
• had been completing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will complete
  simple
• will have completed
  perfect
• will be completing
  progressive
• will have been completing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of complete

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French or directly from Latin complētus (past participle of complēre “to fill up, fulfill,” equivalent to com- com- + plē- fill + -tus past participle suffix

Explanation

Complete means that something is finished, or has all of its necessary parts. When the mechanic hands you your keys, you hope that the work on your car is complete, and he hasn't left out a few important pieces of your engine. Complete can be used as an adjective to describe something that is whole or finished, like a complete turkey dinner, which includes not only the bird, but also the stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Another way to use complete is as a verb meaning to make something whole. Adding candles completes the birthday cake.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

complete completes completed completing

Marchion has asked the court to delay the closing until state police complete its investigation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The annual publication of the most popular baby names could serve as a reminder to some parents that there are other pieces of official paperwork to complete.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

When his rehabilitation was complete, he was good to go.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

A warm bowl of my mother’s homemade soup, complete with a pack of instant noodles bathed in a gingery collagen-rich bone broth and topped with fresh corn, bok choy and a soft-boiled egg, was medicine.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

About three times a year she would take time out from her work and give me a complete examination.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Micron Technology’s latest earnings are further fueling SK Hynix’s stock — and analysts are intrigued about what’s to come after the South Korean memory giant completes its U.S. listing next month.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

Those funds bought shares at a discount to the offer value so they could profit when the takeover deal completes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

I appreciate that everyone brings their own experiences to it, and that sort of completes the piece for me.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys told journalists he wants the bloc to prepare itself to accept Ukraine by 2030 -- if it completes the process by then.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

I feel my fingers close around the stump that now completes his arm and hold fast.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Ferrer completed the review during her doctoral research at Scripps.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

Franklin completed the demolition of the original structure and began building a custom property that was completed in 2006.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

“It’s been a really tough time,” said the midfielder, who broke the World Cup record for completed passes in the tournament with 747.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Even projects that were close to being completed had to be redone to comply retroactively.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

When the excavations at Cape Gelidonya were completed, he and his team headed for Yassi Ada.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

On July 7, he was transferred from a prison to a state security force facility, two days before completing his term.

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

News of the quake broke as President Claudia Sheinbaum was completing her regular morning news conference.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

On Monday afternoon, India cricketer Sneh Rana delivered the ball at London's iconic Lord's cricket stadium, completing a journey for the Indian women's cricket team that has been half-a-century in the making.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Recently, one of them called while completing a business deal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Although Regina had spent six years studying to be a physician, she left before completing her degree, took the baby to Paris, and settled there, working as a teacher of English.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• accomplish
• achieve
• close
• conclude
• determine
• develop
• do
• end
• execute
• finalize
• finish
• halt
• perform
• realize
• settle
• wrap up