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
Synonyms for extinguish
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms for extinguish
Related Words for extinguish
quench, smother, suffocate, douse, annihilate, exterminate, suppress, obliterate, quell, erase, eliminate, abate, destroy, eradicate, trample, drown, stifle, choke, out, endExamples from the Web for extinguish
Contemporary Examples of extinguish
These habits are likely to be hard to extinguish entirely.
I 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 LawrenceMarlow Stern
May 21, 2014
They 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.
Q: His healthcare reform will extinguish all freedom and literally sentence our seniors to death.
Historical Examples of extinguish
I sprang to my feet and took immediate measures to extinguish the flames.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
It would be well to extinguish the fire, and have a watch—listen!
The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper
The villagers were summoned to extinguish fires by ringing of bells.
English VillagesP. H. Ditchfield
Jealousy evermore blows the flame it seems formed to extinguish.
ImogenWilliam Godwin
But should a “holy alliance of legitimates” extinguish it, it will be but for a season.
Chronicles of Border WarfareAlexander Scott Withers
extinguish
- 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)
Word Origin for extinguish
Word Origin and History for extinguish
c.1500 (implied in extinguishable), from Latin extinguere/exstinguere "quench, wipe out, obliterate," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + stinguere "quench," from PIE *steig- "to prick, stick, pierce." Related: Extinguished; extinguishing.
extinguish
(ĭk-stĭng′gwĭsh)- To bring about the extinction of a conditioned response.