conclude
Americanverb (used with object)
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concludes,
present (3rd person singular)
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concluded,
past participle, past
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concluding
present participle
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to bring to an end; finish; terminate.
to conclude a speech with a quotation from the Bible.
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to say in conclusion.
At the end of the speech he concluded that we had been a fine audience.
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to bring to a decision or settlement; settle or arrange finally.
to conclude a treaty.
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to determine by reasoning; deduce; infer.
They studied the document and concluded that the author must have been an eyewitness.
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to decide, determine, or resolve.
He concluded that he would go no matter what the weather.
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Obsolete.
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to shut up or enclose.
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to restrict or confine.
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verb (used without object)
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concludes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
concluded,
past participle, past
-
concluding
present participle
verb
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(also intr) to come or cause to come to an end or conclusion
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(takes a clause as object) to decide by reasoning; deduce
the judge concluded that the witness had told the truth
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to arrange finally; settle
to conclude a treaty
it was concluded that he should go
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obsolete to confine
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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concludernoun
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preconcludeverb (used with object)
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concludableadjective
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concludibleadjective
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nonconcludingadjective
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unconcludableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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concludesimple
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concludessimple
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have concludedperfect
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has concludedperfect
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am concludingprogressive
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are concludingprogressive
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is concludingprogressive
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have been concludingperfect progressive
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has been concludingperfect progressive
Past
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concludedsimple
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had concludedperfect
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was concludingprogressive
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were concludingprogressive
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had been concludingperfect progressive
Future
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 ”
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.
Vocabulary lists containing conclude
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 21-30
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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:
No charges have been filed, and investigations can conclude without charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
As part of the shift, Taiwan’s coast guard said it has taken part in 33 drills during this year’s annual “Han Kuang” military exercises, which run for 10 days and conclude on Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Fulham conclude their pre-season preparations against Stuttgart on Saturday.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Ultimately, they conclude, finding a new constitutional meaning that actually embraces the public’s true understanding of the document requires returning to our old understanding.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
There was nothing to do but conclude that they weren’t coming.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
And, whatever it concludes, the Virginia investigation is a reminder that, as the court observed in the Walker case, all of us have a duty to secure “justice for all persons, whether living or deceased.”
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
The LIV season concludes with the team championship in Michigan from 27-30 August.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
"Focusing on vascular and metabolic risk factors can still help reduce the combined effects of several brain changes that occur simultaneously," he concludes.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Mr. Moral concludes that “what happened between Hitchcock and Hedren will never be known.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Our beloved football team loses the state semifinals, which concludes my inaugural varsity cheerleading season at Decatur High.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
“Two independent doctors evaluated Hoetzlein and each concluded he met the legal criteria for a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity,” Ventura County Dist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
It was Ghana that tabled the UN resolution, and in June, a summit on reparations was held in its capital, Accra, with delegates from around 80 countries, who concluded that recompense was long overdue.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Meanwhile, an analysis by the Yale Budget Lab concluded that consumers are paying anywhere from half to the entire cost of the levies through higher prices, depending on the goods.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
That era concluded quickly, undone by his hubris and deceit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
That concluded the musical portion of the evening.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
"My deepest condolences go out to all of their family, friends and other loved ones," Brookes said, concluding the short hearing.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The report, completed within weeks, laid the blame on “defective foundations,” concluding that gravity dams were safe if built on bedrock.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
A note from Briefing.com said the results showed improved profitability in its streaming business, concluding that Disney's "major earnings drivers are improving simultaneously."
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Olympian David Hearn after concluding that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was caused by a flawed renovation rather than vandalism.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
Grudgingly I sold him one, ruefully concluding that, as always, work was interfering at a crucial moment.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
