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:
“I guess they have to to conclude this case. But I think it’s such a waste of our American dollars,” the juror said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 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
The authors conclude that wildfire prevention should be an integral part of protected-area management.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
I therefore conclude that, since Fortune varies and men remain obstinate in their ways, men prosper when the two are in harmony and fail to prosper when they are not in accord.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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
"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
The Petal singer said that her current tour, which concludes on 1 September following a 10-night run in London, had been "one of the most healing, beautiful, correct and special experiences" of her life.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Mr. Moral concludes that “what happened between Hitchcock and Hedren will never be known.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Ma glances at the lush tropical landscape and concludes, “This must be the Mesozoic era. Jurassic or Cretaceous period, I’d say, judging from the flora and fauna. What do you think, Jax?”
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
The first is whether cloud companies start reporting a separate lifespan for these chips, which would mean their accountants concluded the hardware is genuinely different.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
That effort has effectively been put to bed, as Menendez concluded that Congress never intended to allow the AG to access voter records and papers that state election officials create.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
The panel said the "asbestos risk associated with Skrunda-1 had not been correctly identified" and concluded there had been "insufficient reconnaissance and an assumption of safety".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
A U.K. parliamentary inquiry concluded that the government mis-sold loans to students for over a decade by understating their eventual costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
It felt strange when, on the third day, Badwa told them their lessons were concluded.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Bothwell said the eclipse is forecast to begin at 18:15 BST in Cambridge and will reach its peak at 19:12, before concluding at about 20:00.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
"Markets treated the report as a meaningful challenge to near term Fed rate hike expectations, effectively concluding the Fed has time on its side," wrote National Australia Bank's Rodrigo Catril.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 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
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
They debated, concluding that they needed a professional.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
