snuff out

Idioms  

1. 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]

2. Kill, murder, as in If he told the police, the gang would snuff him out . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]

3. 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]

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Example Sentences

The Netherlands forward was impressive and scored the winner from the spot after David Hancko's header made it 2-2 in the 75th minute to snuff out any lingering hopes of an unlikely comeback.

From BBC

A hawkish tilt, on the other hand, could quickly snuff out the nascent rally, trigger a spike in Treasury bond yields, and deepen the retreat into cash by the world’s biggest investors.

From Barron's

“Dance No More” has a few squawky synths that hint at an appealingly analog ’80s feel, but everything is rendered so immaculately that any sense of naiveté is quickly snuffed out.

From The Wall Street Journal

Up stepped Curran again, bowling a masterful 19th over to snuff out Italian hopes.

From Barron's

Many economists think the RBA will proceed cautiously to avoid snuffing out gains in the labor market and putting household budgets under enough strain to damage the broader economy.

From The Wall Street Journal