1
as in to choke
to cause to cease burning
the fire in the skillet was quickly extinguished by slamming the lid on
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
a fatal blunder that extinguished all hope that the team would actually win the play-offs
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of extinguish
But somewhere, somehow, a fire was lit that would never be extinguished for the remainder of the competition.
—
Rasputin Todd, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Mar. 2026
Once firefighters extinguished the blaze, an unresponsive 84-year-old woman was discovered inside, police said.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
He is also accused of setting fire on March 2 to an electrical vault at a warehouse, with the fire eventually self-extinguishing, according to the district attorney’s office.
—City News Service, Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
Hoiberg boasts the story of an old-school program build — seven wins in each of his first two seasons, finally breaking even in his fourth, 71 wins in his past three — in an era that threatens to extinguish them.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for extinguish
Rasputin Todd, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Mar. 2026
Once firefighters extinguished the blaze, an unresponsive 84-year-old woman was discovered inside, police said.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
He is also accused of setting fire on March 2 to an electrical vault at a warehouse, with the fire eventually self-extinguishing, according to the district attorney’s office.
—City News Service, Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
Hoiberg boasts the story of an old-school program build — seven wins in each of his first two seasons, finally breaking even in his fourth, 71 wins in his past three — in an era that threatens to extinguish them.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for extinguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinguish
Verb
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The artistic director, Massimiliano Gioni, has for years staged sprawling, mind-bending exhibitions inside a vault that choked them.—
Jerry Saltz,
Curbed,
20 Mar. 2026
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The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war has choked global oil supply.—
Victor Ordonez,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of his top aides, Saeed Ghasseminejad, has identified in interviews and on social media critical oil and gas infrastructure that could be destroyed in the war.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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But a staggering series of misfortunes – an arsonist destroyed her rental house; the private equity firm that owned the house still demanded two months’ rent and kept her security deposit; she was diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer – forced her into tenuous housing situations.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some shushed the crowds, urging them to be silent and reverent.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Levy sat on the floor, watching like a proud father and shushing whisperers.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As spring replaces winter’s chill, more people are reaching for a mix of spirits and mixers to quench their thirst.—
Alexis Simmerman,
Austin American Statesman,
24 Mar. 2026
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To quench your thirst, sip water or plain fizzy water.—
Cory Martin,
Verywell Health,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The 39-year-old photographer from Beirut captured a stunning sequence of images in the early hours of Wednesday, showing an IDF missile demolishing a tower block in one fell swoop.—
Raf Sanchez,
NBC news,
19 Mar. 2026
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With the convention center demolished for renovations, festivalgoers moving between key areas like Rainey Street and Congress Avenue felt the city’s transportation gaps more acutely.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The federal government’s ability to wreak havoc and attempt to silence our communities depends mightily on the machines running on our streets and in data centers.—
Jennifer Piper,
Denver Post,
23 Mar. 2026
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The 21-year-old Hamano, on loan at Tottenham from Chelsea, scored in the 17th minute to almost silence the crowd of 74,397 at Sydney's Stadium Australia on Saturday night.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One night in early March, an Iranian writer and dissident climbed to the roof of his apartment building, in Tehran, to marvel at a towering inferno that had blanketed the sky in smoke.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
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The Palisades and Eaton fires burned more than 40,000 acres and destroyed at least 12,000 buildings, blanketing the ocean in ash for up to 100 miles offshore.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now, months later, residents say the gunfire has shattered their peace, ruining quiet strolls and sunsets on the neighborhood’s lakes.—
Christopher Spata,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2026
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Everything looked incredible… until the teams started playing and ruined it a bit.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extinguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinguish. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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