finish

American  

[fin-ish] / ˈfɪn ɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

• finishes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• finished,
  past participle,  past
• finishing
  present participle

1. to bring (something) to an end or to completion; complete.

   to finish a novel; to finish breakfast.

   Synonyms:

   close, conclude, terminate

2. to come to the end of (a course, period of time, etc.).

   to finish school.

3. to use completely (often followed by up oroff ).

   to finish up a can of paint; to finish off the rest of the milk.

4. to overcome completely; destroy or kill (often followed byoff ).

   This spray will finish off the cockroaches.

5. to complete and perfect in detail; put the final touches on (sometimes followed byup ).

   He decided to finish his plan more carefully.

   She finished up a painting.

6. to put a finish on (wood, metal, etc.).

   We finished the desk in antique red lacquer.

7. to perfect (a person) in education, accomplishments, social graces, etc.

8. to ready (livestock) for market by feeding a diet calculated to produce the desired weight.

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verb (used without object)

• finishes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• finished,
  past participle,  past
• finishing
  present participle

1. to come to an end.

   The course finishes in January.

2. to complete a course, project, etc. (sometimes followed byup ).

   I finished before he did. It was nine o'clock when we finished up.

3. (of livestock) to become fattened for market.

noun

• finishes
  plural

1. the end or conclusion; the final part or last stage.

2. the end of a hunt, race, etc..

   a close finish.

3. a decisive ending.

   a fight to the finish.

4. the quality of being finished or completed with smoothness, elegance, etc..

   to admire the finish of one's writing.

5. educational or social polish.

6. the manner in which an object is perfected or finished in its preparation, or an effect imparted in finishing.

7. the surface coating or texture of wood, metal, etc.

8. something used or serving to finish, complete, or perfect a thing.

9. woodwork or the like, especially in the interior of a building, not essential to the structure but used for purposes of ornament, neatness, etc..

   a finish of black walnut.

10. Also called finishing coat.  Also called finish coat,.  a final coat of plaster or paint.

11. a material for application in finishing.

12. Animal Husbandry. the fat tissue of livestock.

13. the flavor remaining in the mouth after a wine has been swallowed.

verb phrase

1. finish with

   1. to bring to completion.

      She's finished with her latest novel.

   2. to put aside, break all relations with, or reject finally.

      He's finished with football and will play only baseball now.

      After the way they treated us, we're finished with them.

finish British  

/ ˈfɪnɪʃ /

verb

1. to bring to an end; complete, conclude, or stop

2. to be at or come to the end; use up

3. to bring to a desired or complete condition

4. to put a particular surface texture on (wood, cloth, etc)

5. (often foll by off) to destroy or defeat completely

6. to train (a person) in social graces and talents

7. 1. to end a relationship or association

   2. to stop punishing a person

      I haven't finished with you yet!

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noun

1. the final or last stage or part; end

2. 1. the death, destruction, or absolute defeat of a person or one side in a conflict

      a fight to the finish

   2. the person, event, or thing that brings this about

3. 1. the surface texture or appearance of wood, cloth, etc

      a rough finish

   2. a preparation, such as varnish, used to produce such a texture

4. a thing, event, etc, that completes

5. completeness and high quality of workmanship

6. refinement in social graces

7. sport ability to sprint at the end of a race

   he has a good finish

finish Idioms  

1. see from soup to nuts (start to finish); in at the death (finish).

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Synonym Usage

See end ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• finisher
  noun
• prefinish
  verb (used with object)
• nonfinishing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• finishes
  plural

Participles

• finishing
  present
• finished
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• finish
  simple
• finishes
  simple
• have finished
  perfect
• has finished
  perfect
• am finishing
  progressive
• are finishing
  progressive
• is finishing
  progressive
• have been finishing
  perfect progressive
• has been finishing
  perfect progressive

Past

• finished
  simple
• had finished
  perfect
• was finishing
  progressive
• were finishing
  progressive
• had been finishing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will finish
  simple
• will have finished
  perfect
• will be finishing
  progressive
• will have been finishing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of finish

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English finisshen, from Anglo-French, Middle French finiss-, long stem of finir, from Latin fīnīre “to end”; see fine ¹

Explanation

To finish something is to complete it or bring it to a conclusion. If you finished a race, you completed it — even if you didn’t come in first. Finishing is about concluding. If you finished a novel, you read the whole thing. Finishing a job means the job is done. This word can also refer to a coating or polish used to make furniture look nicer or fancier. If you say someone has a finished look about them, they don’t actually have a coating or polish, of course — but the effect is the same. They have a clean, cultured, polished appearance.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

finish finishes finished finishing

Gamers’ estimates for how long they would need to finish the new game range from 100 dedicated hours to more than two weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Scott didn’t finish “The Duellists” until he was nearly 40.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Fernandes set up his side's opener on the final day of the season against Brighton – and scored their third – to finish 2025-26 with nine goals and 21 assists in 35 league outings.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

The answer, eventually, was: Then I could finish the peppers and onions and make it another way.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

Suddenly, I realized Ethan had stopped talking and was waiting for me to finish.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

She’s sometimes hesitant, then almost every time the movie finishes and she says, “I loved it.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Front month gold finishes down 0.86% to $4598.20 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

A surprising return to England came via the Everton dugout, where Ancelotti delivered successive mid-table finishes before Real Madrid came calling.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Riso al forno — literally “rice from the oven” — is Italian baked rice, an adaptable format in which partially cooked rice finishes with sauce and cheese.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Theo finishes copying down the list, and I see he’s writing them in alphabetical order.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

But in general, even a degree in the humanities and other non-STEM fields tends to result in higher incomes compared with those who never finished college.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

While Nvidia shares left those concerns in the dust Thursday, other tech stocks finished mixed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

A single print can cost hundreds of dollars, and thoroughly analyzing the finished sample can require several days.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

Interior designer Clarke says artwork is probably the easiest way to make a rental feel more homely because it "instantly makes a space feel more occupied and finished".

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

When he was finished growling he snorted twice, stood, turned away from the stove, and started to pull.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Connors, who played at Murrieta Valley High and Riverside City College before finishing his college career at Rice and Houston, rushed for 69 yards in 18 carries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

With the boll weevil finishing off King Cotton, paper producers’ “plant ’em thick, cut ’em quick” approach spread.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

My grades weren’t impressive, my home life was a mess, and a vocational-education teacher had to talk me into finishing high school.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Israel came close to winning the competition in both 2025 and 2026, ultimately finishing second on each occasion.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

She stepped out of the finishing pose and ducked her head, looking suddenly shy.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Related Words

• accomplish
• achieve
• clinch
• close
• complete
• conclude
• do
• end
• make
• play out
• settle
• stop
• wind up
• wrap up