snuff out
Idioms-
Extinguish, put a sudden end to, as in Three young lives were snuffed out in that automobile accident . This usage alludes to snuff in the sense of “put out a candle by pinching the wick,” an area itself called snuff from the late 1300s on. [Mid-1800s]
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Kill, murder, as in If he told the police, the gang would snuff him out . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]
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Also, snuff it . Die or be killed, as in He looked very ill indeed, as though he might snuff out any day , or Grandpa just snuffed it . [ Slang ; second half of 1800s]
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.
Diomande also showed power and sleight of foot to escape when Ecuador doubled up on him in an attempt to snuff out his threat.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Giannoulias, who pushed for the law after he said he and his young daughters were almost struck by an e-moto on a sidewalk, said he wasn’t trying to snuff out a fledgling form of transportation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Up stepped Curran again, bowling a masterful 19th over to snuff out Italian hopes.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
Duffy, as well as her co-traitor Stephen, managed to snuff out the competition in Friday night's final to take home half of the show's £95,750 prize pot.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026
“I don’t want to snuff out the Shabbat candles. I want their light to shine bright and openly.”
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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.
