complete

adjective

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com·plete | \ kəm-ˈplēt

completer; completest

Definition of complete

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : having all necessary parts, elements, or steps a complete diet

b of a protein : containing all essential amino acids Beans and grains combined together form a complete protein.

2a : total, absolute complete silence

b : fully carried out : thorough a complete renovation

c of a football pass : legally caught

3 : brought to an end : concluded a complete period of time

4 : highly proficient a complete artist

5 of a subject or predicate : including modifiers, complements, or objects

6 of insect metamorphosis : characterized by the occurrence of a pupal stage between the motile immature stages and the adult — compare incomplete sense 3

7 : having all four sets of floral organs

8 of a metric space : having the property that every Cauchy sequence of elements converges to a limit in the space

complete with

: made complete by the inclusion of a birthday cake complete with candles

complete

verb

completed; completing

Definition of complete (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to bring to an end and especially into a perfected state complete a painting

2a : to make whole or perfect Its song completes the charm of the bird. Her latest purchase completes her collection.

b : to mark the end of A rousing chorus completes the show.

c : execute, fulfill complete a contract

3 : to carry out (a forward pass) successfully The quarterback completed 12 out of 18 passes.

Other Words from complete Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about complete

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Synonyms & Antonyms for complete

Synonyms: Adjective

Synonyms: Verb

Antonyms: Adjective

Choose the Right Synonym for complete

Adjective

full, complete, plenary, replete mean containing all that is wanted or needed or possible. full implies the presence or inclusion of everything that is wanted or required by something or that can be held, contained, or attained by it. a full schedule complete applies when all that is needed is present. a complete picture of the situation plenary adds to complete the implication of fullness without qualification. given plenary power replete implies being filled to the brim or to satiety. replete with delightful details

Verb

close, end, conclude, finish, complete, terminate mean to bring or come to a stopping point or limit. close usually implies that something has been in some way open as well as unfinished. close a debate end conveys a strong sense of finality. ended his life conclude may imply a formal closing (as of a meeting). the service concluded with a blessing finish may stress completion of a final step in a process. after it is painted, the house will be finished complete implies the removal of all deficiencies or a successful finishing of what has been undertaken. the resolving of this last issue completes the agreement terminate implies the setting of a limit in time or space. your employment terminates after three months

Examples of complete in a Sentence

Adjective He spoke in complete sentences. They sat in complete silence. Verb The project took four months to complete. Her latest purchase completes her collection. The new baby completed their family. The quarterback completed 12 out of 15 passes.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Real 2, Taft 0: Josh Wood struck out nine in a complete game. Loyola 2, Crespi 1: David Case struck out six in five innings. — Eric Sondheimer Columnist, Los Angeles Times, "Roundup: Juju Watkins of Windward scores 44 points in return from injury in girls’ basketball," 4 May 2021 Scherzer tossed his 12th career complete game, taking a shutout into the ninth inning before allowing a solo home run in a 3-1 Nationals victory, a game that took only 2 hours, 37 minutes. — Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, "Nationals' Max Scherzer tosses complete game vs. Marlins, then joins wife for baby's birth," 2 May 2021 Max Grogan pitched a complete game, allowing three hits and no runs. — Al.com Reports, al, "Statewide baseball roundup: Hillcrest pitchers silence Spanish Fort; Saraland, St. Paul’s earn split," 1 May 2021 Aiden Ausdemore, Mesa Arete Prep, P, Jr. Pitched a complete game in a 4-0 win over Gilbert Classical, throwing 104 pitches, giving up four hits, four walks and striking out five. — Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, "Arizona high school baseball Week 7 top performers list: April 27-May 1," 1 May 2021 Gabby Sacco pitched a complete game and finished with nine strikeouts. — J.c. Carnahan, orlandosentinel.com, "Winter Springs wins softball district title vs. South Lake in rematch of former UCF teammates," 30 Apr. 2021 Kynley Menchaca and Harleigh Russell had two RBIs for Boswell while Haley Parker had a complete-game win, striking out seven. — Dallas News, "Playoff softball roundup: McKinney Boyd surprises Flower Mound, Euless Trinity tops Keller, plus more area recaps," 30 Apr. 2021 While the Wild hasn't assembled a complete game in consecutive losses to the Blues, the team has had bursts of strong play. — Sarah Mclellan, Star Tribune, "Back-to-back losses to Blues give Wild preview of playoff intensity," 30 Apr. 2021 Madison Burns pitched a complete game for Fallston, taking a 5-1 lead into the seventh inning. — Randy Mcroberts, baltimoresun.com, "Patterson Mill softball stays unbeaten with walk-off win over North Harford, 8-7 | ROUNDUP," 28 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb For healthcare programs, the home college would help develop agreements for students to complete their clinical requirements at a local healthcare facility. — baltimoresun.com, "Harford Community College joins Maryland Education Alliance, opening statewide pathways for student success," 3 May 2021 The other commercial crew partner, Boeing, has yet to complete its uncrewed test flight to the ISS with its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. — Richard Tribou, orlandosentinel.com, "SpaceX Crew-1 leaves ISS for early Sunday return to Earth," 1 May 2021 Additional volunteer shifts and an improved review process will allow contractors to complete a recount of 2.1 million Maricopa County ballots by their mid-May deadline, a liaison for the state Senate, which launched the audit, said on Wednesday. — Maria Polletta, The Arizona Republic, "Here's what happened on Wednesday at the Arizona Election audit of Maricopa County ballots," 29 Apr. 2021 The bank originally expected to complete the expansion by the end of 2020. — Patrick Danner, San Antonio Express-News, "With Houston expansion near completion, San Antonio's Frost Bank eyes Dallas market," 29 Apr. 2021 The bill Kelly signed Monday will require the Kansas Department of Labor to complete computer upgrades by the end of 2022. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, "Burning Man, motel vaccinations, eviction law help: News from around our 50 states," 28 Apr. 2021 After taking the opener, 2-1, the Red Sox look to complete a two-game sweep of the Mets at Citi Field Wednesday night. — BostonGlobe.com, "Game 25: Red Sox at Mets lineups and notes," 28 Apr. 2021 The prime brokerage business was sold to rival BNP Paribas in 2019 and is being co-managed through the transition, which will complete by next year. — Rochelle Toplensky, WSJ, "Deutsche Bank Is Drama-Free for Now," 28 Apr. 2021 With its plan for Spring Hill, GM is continuing to flesh out its stunning commitment, made by CEO Mary Barra a few months ago, to complete a transition of its retail vehicle fleet to all BEVs by 2035. — Dale Buss, Forbes, "GM Hopes Its Second ‘Revolution’ In Spring Hill, Tennessee, Is Lasting," 27 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'complete.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

7 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Complete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complete. Accessed 16 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for complete

complete

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of complete

(Entry 1 of 2)

: having all necessary parts : not lacking anything

: not limited in any way

: not requiring more work : entirely done or completed

complete

verb

English Language Learners Definition of complete (Entry 2 of 2)

: to finish making or doing (something) : to bring (something) to an end or to a finished state

: to make (something) whole or perfect

American football : to throw (a forward pass) to a teammate who catches it

See the full definition for complete in the English Language Learners Dictionary

complete

adjective

com·plete | \ kəm-ˈplēt

Kids Definition of complete

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : having all necessary parts : not lacking anything a complete set of books

2 : entirely done His training is complete.

3 : thorough sense 1 complete darkness

complete

verb

completed; completing

Kids Definition of complete (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to bring to an end : finish complete a job

2 : to make whole or perfect He needs six more state flags to complete his collection.

complete

adjective

com·plete | \ kəm-ˈplēt

Medical Definition of complete

1 of insect metamorphosis : characterized by the occurrence of a pupal stage between the motile immature stages and the adult — compare incomplete sense 1

2 of a bone fracture : characterized by a break passing entirely across the bone — compare incomplete sense 2

3 of a protein : containing all essential amino acids — compare incomplete sense 4