complete

adjective

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 2

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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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

Just a presumably first-rate, uncluttered, purely dramatic interpretation of a timeless, bona-fide classic, complete and unabridged. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Les Misérables’ Review: No One Hears the People Sing," 11 Apr. 2019 There is likely some overlap, but not complete overlap. — Dan Frommer, Recode, "How Facebook could screw up Instagram now that its founders are leaving," 27 Sep. 2018 Meanwhile, the third floor was converted to a private master suite, complete with bedroom, closet, sitting room, and bath, while the fourth was designated for work, laundry, exercise, and meditation. — Shoko Wanger, House Beautiful, "This Four-Story Brooklyn Brownstone Is Traditional—With a Twist," 18 Mar. 2019 Once the restoration is complete, 21 bungalows will have been updated, five of which feature distinct design elements inspired by the Hollywood figures who frequented them. — Elle Decor Editors, ELLE Decor, "The Beverly Hills Hotel Unveils Newly Redesigned Bungalows," 20 Feb. 2019 First, the gloves complete Markle's outfit, and help to elevate the look, projecting a royal image. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "The Reason Meghan Markle Holds Her Gloves But Doesn't Actually Wear Them," 2 Feb. 2019 The strappy sport sandals come complete with Velcro fastenings and are basically a warm-weather version of the platform sneaker (translation: comfy). — Glamour, "Sporty Sandals Are the Footwear Trend You Need to Try This Spring," 20 Mar. 2019 There's nothing wrong with wanting a relationship, but no one ever needs another person to be truly complete. — Hannah Orenstein, Seventeen, "17 Surprising Ways You've Internalized Misogyny," 8 Mar. 2019 Sure, Easter is the main event, but the celebration of this holy holiday wouldn’t be complete without first observing Good Friday, the day recognizing the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. — Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, "A Full List of Everything That's Open on Good Friday," 6 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Trips to Costco are never complete without a visit to the food court. — Alex Aronson, Redbook, "The 14 Best Costco Food Court Menu Items, Ranked," 4 Apr. 2019 At the time, Mark had already sold his first company, a computer consulting firm, and was close to completing a $5.6 billion sale for his basketball streaming service. — Marie Milano, Country Living, "Shark Tank's Mark Cuban and His Wife Tiffany's Marriage Is Worth More Than Money Can Buy," 10 Mar. 2019 Scholly notes that the average college student will be $40,000 in debt after completing their four years of education. — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "How to Pay Off Your Student Loans, Thanks to Freeform and Scholly," 3 Jan. 2019 Luckily, Priscilla Ono, Fenty Beauty Global Makeup Artist, shared her go-to item for completing an entire beauty routine. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Prisiclla Ono Shared How to Use Fenty Beauty’s Match Stix to Create an Entire Look," 5 Dec. 2018 Country radio host Bobby Bones exploded with enthusiasm after completing his dance with Sharna Burgess. — Carole Glines, Fox News, "'DWTS' recap: first blind competitor wows crowd as a live TV blunder hurts an Instagram star," 25 Sep. 2018 Most people in the CR group completed the trial, but their average drop in calories was just 12 percent. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, "Not So Fast," 24 Sep. 2018 And awkward adolescence is never complete without a jumping pic with your friends at a bday party. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Here's What the Cast of "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" Looked Like When They Were Younger," 29 Aug. 2018 The BFFs both uploaded photos that appeared to be taken in a fancy bathroom after completing the photo shoot for their collab. — Andrea Park, Allure, "Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods Teased the New Lip Gloss From Their Upcoming Makeup Collab on Instagram," 28 Aug. 2018

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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Dictionary Entries near complete

Statistics for complete

Last Updated

25 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for complete

The first known use of complete was in the 14th century

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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