extinguish
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put out (a fire, light, etc.); put out the flame of (something burning or lighted).
to extinguish a candle.
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to put an end to or bring to an end; wipe out of existence; annihilate.
to extinguish hope.
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to obscure or eclipse, as by superior brilliance.
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Law. to discharge (a debt), as by payment.
verb
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to put out or quench (a light, flames, etc)
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to remove or destroy entirely; annihilate
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archaic to eclipse or obscure by or as if by superior brilliance
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law to discharge (a debt)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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extinguishernoun
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extinguishmentnoun
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preextinguishmentnoun
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preextinguishverb (used with object)
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extinguishableadjective
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nonextinguishableadjective
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nonextinguishedadjective
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self-extinguishingadjective
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unextinguishableadjective
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unextinguishedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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extinguishsimple
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extinguishessimple
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have extinguishedperfect
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has extinguishedperfect
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am extinguishingprogressive
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are extinguishingprogressive
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is extinguishingprogressive
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have been extinguishingperfect progressive
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has been extinguishingperfect progressive
Past
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extinguishedsimple
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had extinguishedperfect
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was extinguishingprogressive
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were extinguishingprogressive
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had been extinguishingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing extinguish
A Wrinkle in Time
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100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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The Great Fire
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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:
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
Firefighters were able to swiftly extinguish it, while a building engineer and staff from Southern California Edison continue to assess structural damage and electrical issues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
The fires around Madrid remained out of control on Friday, with Spanish officials saying that two major blazes southwest of the capital had merged, further complicating efforts to extinguish them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Crews from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service worked overnight to extinguish the blaze using jets and hose reels and have arranged for a helicopter water-drop to reach inaccessible areas.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“You ever notice how when you start a fire, the memory of exactly how it burned stays with you lonnnnnnng after you extinguish it?” he says, staring through the window.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
When they die, the step-up in basis extinguishes the prior capital gains liability forever, leaving only a tax on any gains for the heirs reaped starting from the date of their inheritance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2024
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
It’s gasp-inducing, but Blount says it extinguishes itself quickly and barely leaves a mark on the cloth.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 23, 2023
“Violence extinguishes hope for a just solution to the problems,” the pontiff said.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 22, 2023
He extinguishes the last of the lights before ascending several flights to check on Chandresh.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Firefighters were still battling the blaze in the Moscow region's Elektrostal, while the regional authorities in Tambov said the fire there had been extinguished.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
The blaze was being extinguished, the emergency management ministry said, demanding "all-out" efforts to put it out, search for trapped survivors and treat the injured.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Flashing ahead 15 years, Nafisi’s idealism is much reduced but not extinguished.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
According to the department, adults nearby extinguished the flames by pouring water on the children until paramedics arrived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Any impulse I might have felt toward self- congratulation was extinguished by overwhelming apprehension about the long, dangerous descent that lay ahead.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Mexico had just lost 3-2 to England, extinguishing the hope that it could parlay its World Cup co-host role into the deepest tournament run in the country’s history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 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
Selling the house and extinguishing all outstanding debts and using the remainder to pay cash for a smaller house is a great idea, especially if you are lacking sufficient investments to see you through retirement.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 14, 2025
Suddenly I began to scream, getting up in the darkness and plunging wildly about, bumping against walls, scattering coal, and in my anger extinguishing my feeble light.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
