complete
- 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.
- 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.
Origin of complete
Synonyms for complete
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comSynonym study
Antonyms for complete
Usage note
Related Words for completing
do, execute, finish, end, halt, finalize, conclude, perform, develop, settle, accomplish, determine, close, realize, achieve, perfect, crown, equip, effectuate, actualizeExamples from the Web for completing
Contemporary Examples of completing
Across the country, high school seniors are in the throes of completing college applications before looming deadlines.
Forget the Kids Who Can’t Get In; What About Those Who Don’t Even Apply?Jonah Edelman
December 9, 2014
Regardless, Caro had run out of money and was two years or more from completing the book.
As symptoms progress, individuals with this disease may have trouble walking, talking, or completing other daily activities.
The Burden Robin Williams Carried: Diagnosed With Parkinson’s and DepressionDr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad
August 15, 2014
Within hours of completing their takeover of Sinjar, the Sayyida Zaynab mosque, a Shia holy site, was reportedly blown up.
Iraq’s Religious Minorities are Being Slaughtered and ISIS Just Captured the Last Town Giving Them ShelterAndrew Slater
August 4, 2014
Completing the motion, Howe pulled the puck back to his own left and backhanded it hard into the open side of the net.
Historical Examples of completing
I had now, therefore, a good opportunity of completing the maps.
On completing his education in this business, he worked for a time as a journeyman.
Cleveland Past and PresentMaurice Joblin
Madden saw the importance of completing his disguise in this manner.
The Cruise of the Dry DockT. S. Stribling
As they came in the door, Mary was just completing preparation for supper.
Chit-Chat; Nirvana; The SearchlightMathew Joseph Holt
Broder remained at Copenhagen, completing his course there in the spring of 1715.
Hymns and Hymnwriters of DenmarkJens Christian Aaberg
complete
- 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
- 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
Word Origin for complete
Word Origin and History for completing
complete
late 14c., from Old French complet "full," or directly from Latin completus, past participle of complere "to fill up, complete the number of (a legion, etc.)," transferred to "to fill, to fulfill, to finish (a task)," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + plere "to fill" (see pleio-).
complete
late 14c.; see complete (adj.). Related: Completed; completing.