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

As executor, you would be responsible for administering the estate from start to finish.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

The manufacturer originally said it wouldn’t be able to finish overhauling the souped-up aircraft, known as the VC-25B, until after Trump left office.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Littler went into the final as the overwhelming favourite and a stunning 167 finish in the fourth leg secured an early break to help him claim the first mini-session 4-1.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

He dominated this race from start to finish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

While she’s at Carville, Joey, an avid reader and writer, plans to finish high school.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

With three top-10 finishes in six Open Championship starts, alongside his Scottish Open win in 2024, Robert MacIntyre certainly has the game for links golf.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

They are building bathrooms with high-end grab bars that match the finishes of the other fixtures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Nneka Ogwumike finishes with 25 points and 12 rebounds as the Sparks showcase their potential even without Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink in a 102-87 win.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

The buttery, milder fish compliments the tang of the tomatoes and the bright balsamic dressing that finishes the salad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Mom finishes her coffee and takes the cup over to the sink to rinse.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Scotland's Andrew Butchart finished 13th, but he has seen this all before.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

I’ll return it to another Little Free Library when I’m finished.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

That’s what happened to one physician couple who adviser Rob Schultz, of Encino, Calif., helped do a conversion for after they finished residency and were moving abroad for a year to do a medical mission.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

After Trujillo finished testifying, prosecutors played a video of his earlier sworn statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

I didn't think he was surprised that I had finished.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Improvements followed, with sixth and fourth in the next two campaigns signalling strides in the right direction, but finishing 10th last season was another big blow.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Some of my friends insist on finishing a book even if they don’t like it, much the way people feel guilty about walking out of the theater partway through a movie or concert.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Abigail secured third place in the women's vault, one place ahead of sister Emily, who then claimed her own medal later in the afternoon by finishing third in the uneven bars.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Didn't look like he could match McLaren team-mate Norris for pure pace, though, and once Norris jumped him in the pits, looked resigned to finishing behind him.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

I was finally finishing when Earth’s puny, pale sun rose into the sky, and the strangest, most disturbing thing yet occurred.

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

Related Words

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