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Synonyms

finished

American  
[fin-isht] / ˈfɪn ɪʃt /

adjective

  1. ended or completed.

  2. completed or perfected in all details, as a product.

    to pack and ship finished items.

  3. polished to the highest degree of excellence.

    a dazzling and finished piece of writing.

  4. highly skilled or accomplished.

    a finished violinist.

  5. condemned, doomed, or in the process of extinction.

    The aristocracy was finished after the revolution.

  6. (of livestock) fattened and ready for market.

finished British  
/ ˈfɪnɪʃt /

adjective

  1. perfected

  2. (predicative) at the end of a task, activity, etc

    they were finished by four

  3. (predicative) without further hope of success or continuation

    she was finished as a prima ballerina
"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

Other Word Forms

  • half-finished adjective
  • well-finished adjective

Etymology

Origin of finished

First recorded in 1575–85; finish + -ed 2

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.

He finished two for four from three against the Suns and six for 12 from the floor.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

The opening scores came through his pack as Cokayne, who started and scored in the World Cup final, finished off the back of a rampaging maul and Bern powered over from close range.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Amazon has delivered before, and the setup suggests it may not be finished yet.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Oil prices finished lower on Friday, with U.S. and global benchmark crude contracts posting their worst weekly percentage losses in nearly six years, as talks loomed between the U.S. and Iran.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

He didn’t say a word to either of us and, when the film finished, he got up and left without a backward glance.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

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.