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Which phrase means something is complete?

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complete

American  

[kuhm-pleet] / kəmˈplit /

adjective

1. having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full.

   a complete set of Mark Twain's writings.

   Synonyms:

   unbroken

   Antonyms:

   partial

2. finished; ended; concluded.

   a complete orbit.

3. having all the required or customary characteristics, skills, or the like; consummate; perfect in kind or quality.

   a complete scholar.

   Antonyms:

   defective

4. thorough; entire; total; undivided, uncompromised, or unmodified.

   a complete victory;

   a complete mess.

5. Grammar. having all modifying or complementary elements included.

   The complete subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “The dappled pony.”

6. Football. Also completed. (of a forward pass) caught by a receiver.

7. Logic. (of a set of axioms) such that every true proposition able to be formulated in terms of the basic ideas of a given system is deducible from the set.

8. Engineering. noting a determinate truss having the least number of members required to connect the panel points so as to form a system of triangles.

9. (of persons) accomplished; skilled; expert.

10. Mathematics.

    1. of or relating to an algebraic system, as a field with an order relation defined on it, in which every set of elements of the system has a least upper bound.

    2. of or relating to a set in which every fundamental sequence converges to an element of the set.

    3. (of a lattice) having the property that every subset has a least upper bound and a greatest lower bound.

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verb (used with object)

• completes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• completed,
  past participle,  past
• completing
  present participle

1. to make whole or entire.

   I need three more words to complete the puzzle.

   Synonyms:

   close, conclude, terminate, achieve, accomplish, perfect, consummate

2. to make perfect.

   His parting look of impotent rage completed my revenge.

3. to bring to an end; finish.

   Has he completed his new novel yet?

4. to consummate.

5. Football. to execute (a forward pass) successfully.

   He completed 17 passes in 33 attempts.

complete British  

/ kəmˈpliːt /

adjective

1. having every necessary part or element; entire

2. ended; finished

3. (prenominal) thorough; absolute

   he is a complete rogue

4. perfect in quality or kind

   he is a complete scholar

5. (of a logical system) constituted such that a contradiction arises on the addition of any proposition that cannot be deduced from the axioms of the system Compare consistent

6. (of flowers) having sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels

7. archaic expert or skilled; accomplished

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verb

1. to make whole or perfect

2. to end; finish

3. (in land law) to pay any outstanding balance on a contract for the conveyance of land in exchange for the title deeds, so that the ownership of the land changes hands

4. American football (of a quarterback) to make a forward pass successfully

Usage

Occasionally there are objections to modifying complete with qualifiers like almost, more, most, nearly, and quite, because they suggest that complete is relative rather than absolute: an almost complete record; a more complete proposal; the most complete list available. However, such uses are fully standard and occur regularly in all varieties of spoken and written English. See also perfect, unique.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• completedness
  noun
• completeness
  noun
• completer
  noun
• completion
  noun
• precompleteness
  noun
• subcompleteness
  noun
• uncompleteness
  noun
• completable
  adjective
• completive
  adjective
• half-completed
  adjective
• quasi-complete
  adjective
• subcomplete
  adjective
• uncompletable
  adjective
• uncomplete
  adjective
• uncompleted
  adjective
• well-completed
  adjective
• completely
  adverb
• completively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• completing
  present
• completed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• complete
  simple
• completes
  simple
• have completed
  perfect
• has completed
  perfect
• am completing
  progressive
• are completing
  progressive
• is completing
  progressive
• have been completing
  perfect progressive
• has been completing
  perfect progressive

Past

• completed
  simple
• had completed
  perfect
• was completing
  progressive
• were completing
  progressive
• had been completing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will complete
  simple
• will have completed
  perfect
• will be completing
  progressive
• will have been completing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of complete

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French or directly from Latin complētus (past participle of complēre “to fill up, fulfill,” equivalent to com- com- + plē- fill + -tus past participle suffix

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Explanation

Complete means that something is finished, or has all of its necessary parts. When the mechanic hands you your keys, you hope that the work on your car is complete, and he hasn't left out a few important pieces of your engine. Complete can be used as an adjective to describe something that is whole or finished, like a complete turkey dinner, which includes not only the bird, but also the stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Another way to use complete is as a verb meaning to make something whole. Adding candles completes the birthday cake.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

complete completes completed completing

By the standards of “Street Fighter,” Ken and Ryu are actually fairly normal — this is a bizarro universe in which Bison dresses like a Nazi fashionista, complete with flowing cape and a peaked cap.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Researchers in Italy announced in June the first complete virtual unrolling of a scroll, which turned out to be a treatise on ethics.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

I sincerely hope their marriage lasts, but I cannot say I have complete confidence that it will.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

To complete our 600-mile loop, we headed south via car ferry to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, overnighting in the pretty fishing town of Stykkishólmur.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

"This case has been cited as one of complete recovery ... without any impairment to the intellect," he says, but in truth, Phineas's personality changed drastically after the accident.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

The brown dwarf completes a full revolution around its host star in just 87 minutes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

CNN Chairman and Chief Executive Mark Thompson could remain in his role at the news network after Paramount completes its deal to acquire the news network’s parent company, Warner Bros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

A poster from the Gold Over America Tour, which Biles launched in September 2021 following the Tokyo Olympics, completes the trio of framed achievements.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

Having sales associates offer personal styling services completes the illusion of shopping in a far more upscale store.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

If the kid completes the plan and meets the benchmarks, no criminal charges are ever filed.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

Nearly all participants who completed the exercise test performed at or above the 90th percentile for their age when compared with reference populations.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

The structure was completed in 2014 but its opening was delayed due to a lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Both of those steps should be completed this year, allowing Rocket Lab to assemble and test its complete stage-one tank in the first quarter of 2027, Beck said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

So had the creation and decoration of Prague’s earliest Jewish synagogue, the Altneuschul, the double-naved Gothic house of worship completed in 1270 that is also the oldest still-active synagogue in Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

I completed the outfit by tying a white apron around my waist.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

To study the consequences of these abnormalities, Cimini's team manipulated diploid cancer cells so they would duplicate their chromosomes without completing cell division.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Public and private investors are also getting more wary about new AI data center developers with little experience completing projects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

At the moment it is a greenfield site, but insiders say there should be no difficulties completing the project by 2030.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

The difference between those two figures is a hefty $37.7 million, although that does not account for the money spent completing the residence, subsequent improvements, carrying costs, or selling expenses.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Claire asked when his voice drifted away without completing the thought.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry

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Related Words

• accomplish
• achieve
• close
• conclude
• determine
• develop
• do
• end
• execute
• finalize
• finish
• halt
• perform
• realize
• settle
• wrap up

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