extinguish

[ ik-sting-gwish ]
See synonyms for: extinguishextinguishedextinguishingextinguishment on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to put out (a fire, light, etc.); put out the flame of (something burning or lighted): to extinguish a candle.

  2. to put an end to or bring to an end; wipe out of existence; annihilate: to extinguish hope.

  1. to obscure or eclipse, as by superior brilliance.

  2. Law. to discharge (a debt), as by payment.

Origin of extinguish

1
1535–45; <Latin ex(s)tingu(ere) (ex-ex-1 + stinguere to quench) + -ish2

Other words for extinguish

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. 2024

How to use extinguish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for extinguish

extinguish

/ (ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ) /


verb(tr)
  1. to put out or quench (a light, flames, etc)

  2. to remove or destroy entirely; annihilate

  1. archaic to eclipse or obscure by or as if by superior brilliance

  2. law to discharge (a debt)

Origin of extinguish

1
C16: from Latin exstinguere, from stinguere to quench

Derived 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