Synonyms

extinguish

American

[ik-sting-gwish] / ɪkˈstɪŋ gwɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

to put out (a fire, light, etc.); put out the flame of (something burning or lighted).

to extinguish a candle.

Synonyms:

smother, quench

Antonyms:

ignite, light
to put an end to or bring to an end; wipe out of existence; annihilate.

to extinguish hope.
to obscure or eclipse, as by superior brilliance.
Law. to discharge (a debt), as by payment.

extinguish British

/ ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ /

verb

to put out or quench (a light, flames, etc)
to remove or destroy entirely; annihilate
archaic to eclipse or obscure by or as if by superior brilliance
law to discharge (a debt)

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of extinguish

1535–45; < Latin ex ( s ) tingu ( ere ) ( ex- ex- ¹ + stinguere to quench) + -ish ²

Explanation

To extinguish something means to put an end to it, and get rid of it completely. Water can extinguish a fire; nasty smells can extinguish your appetite. Extinguish comes from the Latin word for quench, but while we might think that quenching something, say our thirst, is good, the word extinguish often has sinister overtones. In a genocide, one group tries to extinguish another — too quench their hatred, by killing everyone in the other group.

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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:

extinguish extinguishes extinguished extinguishing

Fire crews were called to the scene the following morning and were able to extinguish the blaze.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

"One industrial facility has been damaged. All relevant services are on site, working to extinguish the fire," he added.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

He put sprinklers on his roof to extinguish falling embers.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Whatever their environmental merit, such measures increase the amount of highly flammable fuel for fires, make it easier for blazes to spread and harder to extinguish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

The large one was stamping his leg furiously, trying to extinguish it.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Today, I bring your attention to the Colorado Supreme Court, which this month reaffirmed an inexplicable quirk of its excessive sentencing jurisprudence that preemptively extinguishes constitutional rights for entire categories of people.

From Slate ● Dec. 29, 2025

Navy in the 1960s, the foams form an aqueous film around burning gasoline and other flammable liquids, which quickly deprives the fire of oxygen and extinguishes it.

From Science Daily ● May 9, 2024

“The Sackler release extinguishes the claims of all opioid claimants except the United States, and therefore applies to an untold number of claimants who did not specifically consent to the release’s terms,” Ms. Prelogar wrote.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 29, 2023

One of the more subtle things that we added is showing how Ember extinguishes, disappears and comes back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

Cressida’s voice snaps me back to reality, extinguishes me.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Since the fire was extinguished, Lineage has been tasked with removing roughly 88 million pounds of spoiled and decomposing food, along with fire and demolition debris.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

He had used tongs to move the barbecue to one side and extinguished it, so he thought it was safe.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Reynolds said it could be "weeks or more" before the wildfire was finally extinguished.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Firefighters were still battling the blaze in the Moscow region's Elektrostal, while the fire in Tambov had been extinguished, regional authorities said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

With a wave of Tantalus’s hand, the fire was extinguished, and the campers trailed off toward their cabins in the dark.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

Firefighters were also seen extinguishing a fire in the tower.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

Trump administration officials affirmed Cole Allen shot a Secret Service officer, extinguishing doubt about the source of the gunfire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

"Emergency services rushed to the scene and found the vehicle completely engulfed in flames. Firefighters carried out rescue and extinguishing operations. A security perimeter was set up," a police statement said.

From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026

The company that flips the houses it buys online reported a widening loss of $1.1 billion, from a $113 million loss in the year-ago period, mostly on the cost of extinguishing debt.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 20, 2026

The extinguishing of the light made Penelope cry out in alarm.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023