conclude

American  

[kuhn-klood] / kənˈklud /

verb (used with object)

• concludes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• concluded,
  past participle,  past
• concluding
  present participle

1. to bring to an end; finish; terminate.

   to conclude a speech with a quotation from the Bible.

2. to say in conclusion.

   At the end of the speech he concluded that we had been a fine audience.

3. to bring to a decision or settlement; settle or arrange finally.

   to conclude a treaty.

4. to determine by reasoning; deduce; infer.

   They studied the document and concluded that the author must have been an eyewitness.

5. to decide, determine, or resolve.

   He concluded that he would go no matter what the weather.

6. Obsolete.

   1. to shut up or enclose.

   2. to restrict or confine.

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verb (used without object)

• concludes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• concluded,
  past participle,  past
• concluding
  present participle

1. to come to an end; finish.

   The meeting concluded at ten o'clock.

2. to arrive at an opinion or judgment; come to a decision; decide.

   The jury concluded to set the accused free.

conclude British  

/ kənˈkluːd /

verb

1. (also intr) to come or cause to come to an end or conclusion

2. (takes a clause as object) to decide by reasoning; deduce

   the judge concluded that the witness had told the truth

3. to arrange finally; settle

   to conclude a treaty

   it was concluded that he should go

4. obsolete to confine

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• concluder
  noun
• preconclude
  verb (used with object)
• concludable
  adjective
• concludible
  adjective
• nonconcluding
  adjective
• unconcludable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• concluding
  present
• concluded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• conclude
  simple
• concludes
  simple
• have concluded
  perfect
• has concluded
  perfect
• am concluding
  progressive
• are concluding
  progressive
• is concluding
  progressive
• have been concluding
  perfect progressive
• has been concluding
  perfect progressive

Past

• concluded
  simple
• had concluded
  perfect
• was concluding
  progressive
• were concluding
  progressive
• had been concluding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will conclude
  simple
• will have concluded
  perfect
• will be concluding
  progressive
• will have been concluding
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of conclude

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin conclūdere “to close, end an argument,” equivalent to con- con- + -clūdere, combining form of claudere “to close ”

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Explanation

The verb conclude means two related things: coming to a decision, and bringing to a close. Conclude is related to the word close, which is related to an old Latin word for "barrier" or "bolt" — the kind you put on a door. When you conclude something, it's as though you're pulling a door shut and bolting it. If your girlfriend concludes an argument by leaving the room and slamming the door, you can conclude that she's angry at you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conclude concludes concluded concluding

"Although increases in cancer in younger adults are concerning, the absolute burden remains far higher in older adults, underscoring the public health and clinical importance of studying risk factors across all ages," they conclude.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

It’s a statistical sleight of hand to conclude from this that old age is what causes bull markets to end, however.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

But now, I can conclude only that Justin Herbert is the problem.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

It is why the review team said it could not yet conclude over-diagnosis was happening "at scale".

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Over the next two days, Xan did her best to conclude her work in the Free Cities as quickly as she could.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

Hours later, she pulled back a bit, issuing a statement saying she expects to replace him prior to the end of his term, which concludes in late 2029.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Stateside listeners will be delighted to learn that the edition concludes with “Watching the Detectives,” the searing track that was appended to the American release.

From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2026

"Our findings show that it might be worthwhile to examine targeted antibiotics from ethnographic contexts - or, as in this case, from prehistoric contexts - in greater depth," concludes Siemssen.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

Although most officials anticipate one more rate increase before the year concludes, future actions will remain strictly dependent on data we see between now and the next meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

“Cheep, cheep, cheep,” she concludes, waving her head and hands back and forth.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

Kraft Heinz shelved its planned split in February after a new leader concluded its problems were fixable with more investment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Caltrans said several investigations concluded the bridge is safe for travelers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Ukraine said this week, as Operation Vivaldi concluded, that the system had restrictions imposed without warning, limiting their capability.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

It’s not clear what form this new push will take, but Gates has concluded that op-eds and media interviews aren’t enough.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

“It must be the smell of Switzerland, coming from Lordawoo’s study,” Alexander concluded, for he knew his geography from the North Pole all the way to the South.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Polymarket’s first U.S. political campaign features a pair of ads directed by Kathryn Bigelow that dramatize voter concerns such as high gas prices before concluding with the tagline, “Watch the midterms move.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Discounts and low-rate financing can attract buyers, but they also cut into that profit, so investors need to know what they cost before concluding that demand will last.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

He said Canada and India look forward to concluding negotiations "in the coming months."

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

After concluding it was most likely a homicide, Oliver said it was a "very sad and singular case".

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Finally, concluding that there was no good way, I said it straight out.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

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