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.
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 ● Mar. 18, 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
On back-to-back snaps, Mesidor and Bain sacked CJ Carr to snuff out the threat of a comeback and seal a 27-24 Miami win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
Vitinha, a stellar performer in PSG's Champions League win, was the decisive performer with two stunning strikes to snuff out the Spurs lead, one with his right foot another with his left.
From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025
Servants reach long-handled douters overhead and snuff out a few flames.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
