complete

[ kuhm-pleet ]

/ kəmˈplit /

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See synonyms for: complete / completes / completing / completely on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full: a complete set of Mark Twain's writings.

finished; ended; concluded: a complete orbit.

having all the required or customary characteristics, skills, or the like; consummate; perfect in kind or quality: a complete scholar.

thorough; entire; total; undivided, uncompromised, or unmodified: a complete victory;a complete mess.

Grammar. having all modifying or complementary elements included: The complete subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “The dappled pony.”Compare simple (def. 20).

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

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.Compare incomplete (def. 4b).

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.Compare incomplete (def. 3), redundant (def. 5c).

(of persons) accomplished; skilled; expert.

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.
of or relating to a set in which every fundamental sequence converges to an element of the set.Compare fundamental sequence.
(of a lattice) having the property that every subset has a least upper bound and a greatest lower bound.

verb (used with object), com·plet·ed, com·plet·ing.

to make whole or entire: I need three more words to complete the puzzle.

to make perfect: His parting look of impotent rage completed my revenge.

to bring to an end; finish: Has he completed his new novel yet?

to consummate.

Football. to execute (a forward pass) successfully: He completed 17 passes in 33 attempts.

OTHER WORDS FOR complete

1 unbroken, unimpaired, undivided.

3 developed.

11 consummate, perfect, accomplish, achieve.

13 terminate, conclude, close.

See synonyms for complete on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR complete

1 partial.

3 defective.

See antonyms for complete on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

usage note for complete

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 WORDS FROM complete

com·plet·a·ble, adjectivecom·plet·ed·ness, nouncom·plete·ly, adverbcom·plete·ness, noun

com·plet·er, nouncom·ple·tive, adjectivecom·ple·tive·ly, adverbhalf-com·plet·ed, adjectivepre·com·plete·ness, nounqua·si-com·plete, adjectivesub·com·plete, adjectivesub·com·plete·ness, nounun·com·plet·a·ble, adjectiveun·com·plete, adjectiveun·com·plete·ness, nounun·com·plet·ed, adjectivewell-com·plet·ed, adjective

Words nearby complete

complement clause, complemented, complement fixation, complement-fixation test, complementizer, complete, complete blood count, complete fertilizer, complete flower, complete fracture, completely

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say complete?

Something that is complete has all its parts or elements, or has been finished or concluded. How does complete compare to synonyms entire, intact, and perfect? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

How to use complete in a sentence

Glenn provided specific cases where more data would have helped site owners, and he provided a way for you to get involved by including a poll in the story that you can complete.
Google goes dark theme and passage ranking sees the light: Friday’s daily brief|Barry Schwartz|February 12, 2021|Search Engine Land
After it completes this demographic of 30 million people, the government will roll out the vaccine for those above 50 years, and those below 50 but with co-morbidities.
Why has Narendra Modi not taken the Covid-19 vaccine yet?|Manavi Kapur|February 12, 2021|Quartz
That run under Gibbs was a masterful exhibition of building a complete team around the position, and Washington thrived during an era in which many teams managed to lift the Lombardi Trophy without needing a Hall of Fame-bound quarterback.
The NFL’s top QBs are waking up to their power, following Tom Brady and LeBron James|Jerry Brewer|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
On Tuesday, Liang and an official from China’s National Health Commission declared the China leg of the WHO probe complete and called for its scope to be expanded globally to answer the origin question.
WHO team in Wuhan dismisses lab leak theory, continues hunt for intermediary coronavirus host|Gerry Shih|February 9, 2021|Washington Post

When they can’t see your face as well or they can’t read your lips as well, that may be a challenge because they can’t hear you accurately to complete the cognitive testing.
Ford’s next pandemic mission: Clear N95 masks and low-cost air filters|Hannah Denham|February 9, 2021|Washington Post
He then provides some insight into his psyche - complete with Animal House reference.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Complete male reproductive independence would also hinge on artificial womb technology, which also made headlines in 2014.
Men Will Someday Have Kids Without Women|Samantha Allen|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Occasionally, a level will take 20 or more strokes to complete.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Still, McGee never trusts him enough to tell the complete story of what happened that day.
This Week’s Hot Reads: December 22, 2014|Mythili Rao|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sullivan has by then moved in to help and he seeks to complete the arrest of the first man.
Protesters Slimed This Good Samaritan Cop|Michael Daly|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However this be, it is hard to say that these fibs have that clear intention to deceive which constitutes a complete lie.
Children's Ways|James Sully
He became a doctor in two hours, and it only cost him twenty dollars to complete his education.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Prud'hon, in humiliation and despair, lived in a solitude almost complete.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
He staggered along with much difficulty and managed to complete half of it by Christmas.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
A culture which was complete one thousand years before Adam must have needed many thousands of years to develop.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford

British Dictionary definitions for complete

complete

/ (kəmˈpliːt) /

adjective

having every necessary part or element; entire

ended; finished

(prenominal) thorough; absolutehe is a complete rogue

perfect in quality or kindhe is a complete scholar

(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 systemCompare consistent (def. 5)

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

archaic expert or skilled; accomplished

verb (tr)

to make whole or perfect

to end; finish

(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

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

Derived forms of complete

completely, adverbcompleteness, nouncompleter, nouncompletion, noun

completive, adjective

Word Origin for complete

C14: from Latin complētus, past participle of complēre to fill up; see complement

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

complete

OTHER WORDS FOR complete

OPPOSITES FOR complete

Origin of complete

usage note for complete

OTHER WORDS FROM complete

Words nearby complete

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say complete?

Words related to complete

How to use complete in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for complete

Derived forms of complete

Word Origin for complete