complete
Americanadjective
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having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full.
a complete set of Mark Twain's writings.
- Synonyms:
- unbroken
- Antonyms:
- partial
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a complete orbit.
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having all the required or customary characteristics, skills, or the like; consummate; perfect in kind or quality.
a complete scholar.
- Antonyms:
- defective
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thorough; entire; total; undivided, uncompromised, or unmodified.
a complete victory;
a complete mess.
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Grammar. having all modifying or complementary elements included.
The complete subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “The dappled pony.”
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Football. Also completed. (of a forward pass) caught by a receiver.
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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.
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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.
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(of persons) accomplished; skilled; expert.
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Mathematics.
-
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.
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of or relating to a set in which every fundamental sequence converges to an element of the set.
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(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
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to make whole or entire.
I need three more words to complete the puzzle.
- Synonyms:
- close, conclude, terminate, achieve, accomplish, perfect, consummate
-
to make perfect.
His parting look of impotent rage completed my revenge.
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to bring to an end; finish.
Has he completed his new novel yet?
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to consummate.
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Football. to execute (a forward pass) successfully.
He completed 17 passes in 33 attempts.
adjective
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having every necessary part or element; entire
-
ended; finished
-
(prenominal) thorough; absolute
he is a complete rogue
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perfect in quality or kind
he is a complete scholar
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(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
-
(of flowers) having sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels
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archaic expert or skilled; accomplished
verb
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to make whole or perfect
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to end; finish
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(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
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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
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completednessnoun
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completenessnoun
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completernoun
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completionnoun
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precompletenessnoun
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subcompletenessnoun
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uncompletenessnoun
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completableadjective
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completiveadjective
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half-completedadjective
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quasi-completeadjective
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subcompleteadjective
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uncompletableadjective
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uncompleteadjective
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uncompletedadjective
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well-completedadjective
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completelyadverb
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completivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
completesimple
-
completessimple
-
have completedperfect
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has completedperfect
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am completingprogressive
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are completingprogressive
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is completingprogressive
-
have been completingperfect progressive
-
has been completingperfect progressive
Past
-
completedsimple
-
had completedperfect
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was completingprogressive
-
were completingprogressive
-
had been completingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing complete
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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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:
The robots moved slowly and sometimes required a few attempts to complete their tasks.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Because the telescope observes from space, it can capture sharper images across complete rotations of Saturn without the blurring caused by Earth's atmosphere.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
“Make sure it’s complete, counsel. Otherwise, I’ll reject it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Johnson, who plans to study biology, still compiled a list of around 20 colleges, and will complete traditional applications for many.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
"This case has been cited as one of complete recovery ... without any impairment to the intellect," he says, but in truth, Phineas's personality changed drastically after the accident.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
The signing of Carlos Baleba completes a £155m summer revamp of Manchester United's midfield.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The company said it plans to provide a broader outlook after it completes a strategic review of its consumer business, and as it gets a better view of its trajectory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
After the formal rule-making process completes, most likely in September, Californians will have up to five years to comply.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The ruling "completes an exemplary democratic debate", the Elysee Palace said, adding that the legislation "provides an essential safeguard for our fellow citizens".
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
I just looked over every name—every story—that completes these tapes.
From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher
Last December, Boeing completed its biggest acquisition in years, when it paid $8.4 billion to buy its longtime—and then visibly struggling—fuselage supplier, Spirit AeroSystems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
"They had completed their pilgrimage around Mount Kailash and were going through immigration procedures" at the Gyirong border crossing with China when disaster struck, he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Board member Kelly Gonez said that, to her knowledge, the district was still following an earlier policy that made AI available to older students after they had completed instructional units on digital literacy and responsibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The club also made clear to the player they would work with Monaco to explore a solution that could still enable the transfer to be completed.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
After the French Revolution, which overthrew the monarchy, it completed its final transformation into a museum, a monument for the new French Republic.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Hindus believe completing the circuit carries great spiritual significance and helps cleanse sins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported an incident on Monday of a tanker being struck by three unknown projectiles while completing its transit of the key waterway.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Instead they stepped on to court just after midnight on Monday, with Kenin completing a win in straight sets shortly after the clock struck 2am local time in New York.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Overwhelmed by the number of bodies and without proper freezing facilities, Nepali authorities have had to begin burials before completing the identification process.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
Sam spread his deerskin sleeping bag on the big stone table and, after completing his chores and writing in his journal, he lay down and watched the stars come out.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
