extinguish
to put out (a fire, light, etc.); put out the flame of (something burning or lighted): to extinguish a candle.
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.
Origin of extinguish
1Other words for extinguish
| 1 | quench, smother, snuff out, blow out |
Opposites for extinguish
Other words from extinguish
- ex·tin·guish·a·ble, adjective
- ex·tin·guish·ment, noun
- non·ex·tin·guish·a·ble, adjective
- non·ex·tin·guished, adjective
- pre·ex·tin·guish, verb (used with object)
- pre·ex·tin·guish·ment, noun
- self-ex·tin·guish·ing, adjective
- un·ex·tin·guish·a·ble, adjective
- un·ex·tin·guished, adjective
Words Nearby extinguish
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use extinguish in a sentence
In 2005, in a speech condemning the Republican majority’s threat to extinguish the filibuster against judicial nominees, then-Sen.
Before it’s time for bed, show your campers how to properly extinguish the fire, and have them perform the work themselves.
A Family-Friendly Camp Meal That Everyone Can Help With | Wes Siler | October 1, 2020 | Outside OnlineThat last fire wasn’t a big one, causing just $50,000 in damage, and fire crews were able to extinguish it in just 24 minutes.
That’s the way to make sure it’s truly extinguished—with work not from the sky, but on the dirty ground.
How aerial firefighters battle blazes from the skies | Rob Verger | August 27, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThe numbers of deaths and years of life extinguished due to excessive drinking have gone up since the last report.
Heavy drinking drove hundreds of thousands of Americans to early graves | Aimee Cunningham | August 3, 2020 | Science News
These habits are likely to be hard to extinguish entirely.
Why Are Millennials Unfriending Organized Religion? | Vlad Chituc | November 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYes, “The Girl on Fire” can apparently extinguish them, too.
‘The Fappening’ Is Dead: From A-List Hacking Victims to D-Listers Accused of Leaking Nudes For PR | Marlow Stern | October 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI like the taste of it as well once you extinguish the flame.
James McAvoy on ‘Filth,’ His Wild Bachelor Party, and BB Gun Fights with Jennifer Lawrence | Marlow Stern | May 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey remembered that the escaped owner had only recently tried to extinguish their capital with blood.
Amid the sound of screaming and the smell of burning, he tried to extinguish the fire with prayer mats.
Surviving Syria’s Incendiary Bomb Attacks | Paul Adrian Raymond | December 11, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAnger and humiliation extinguish my momentary impulse to rush to her assistance.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander BerkmanHe discovers that no amount of austerities will extinguish desire, or produce ecstatic contemplation.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John LordBut Government with 15,000 Regulars in town, and every Gentleman (but one) on their side, must extinguish the flame.
Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) | Edward GibbonThese poor wretches fought for the last flicker of the lamp, which the bears wanted to extinguish altogether.
Black Diamonds | Mr JkaiVigilant priests were always ready to extinguish systems which could not be made to tally with their interests.
Superstition In All Ages (1732) | Jean Meslier
British Dictionary definitions for extinguish
/ (ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ) /
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)
Origin of extinguish
1Derived forms of extinguish
- extinguishable, adjective
- extinguisher, noun
- extinguishment, noun
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
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