complete

adjective com·plete \ kəm-ˈplēt \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: complete in a Sentence

Definition of complete

completer; completest

1 a : 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.

2 a : 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 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

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completely

adverb

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completeness

noun

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completive

play \kəm-ˈplē-tiv\ adjective

— complete with

: made complete by the inclusion of

a birthday cake complete with candles

See complete defined for English-language learners

See complete defined for kids

Examples of complete in a Sentence

He spoke in complete sentences.
They sat in complete silence.

Recent Examples of complete from the Web

The administration said the reductions are virtually complete and have been accomplished through voluntary departures.

— nick anderson, Washington Post, "Faculty dissidents report vote of no confidence in Catholic University leadership," 1 June 2018
The project is nearly complete and will be open for tours Saturday and Sunday as the church celebrates its 325th anniversary.

— peter marteka, Courant Community, "New Life For An Old House," 1 June 2018
Her medicine wheel pendant, made from four colors of Swarovski crystals, represents her culture’s four directions teachings, or the call to live a complete and balanced life.

— christian allaire, Vogue, "How 6 Indigenous Designers Are Using Fashion to Reclaim Their Culture," 30 May 2018
Integrating legal aid with them ensures more complete and coordinated care.

— jay chaudhary, STAT, "Opioid recovery teams benefit from the addition of lawyers," 29 May 2018
Services that help homeless individuals conduct a housing search, complete the paperwork to qualify, and get everything ready to move in are essential.

— antoinette kraus, Philly.com, "Philly's heroin camps illustrate how housing instability hurts health," 29 May 2018
Of the countries seeking to influence negotiations with North Korea, Japan has remained the most hard-line, calling for complete and immediate denuclearization as well as for the removal of all missiles and biological weapons.

— motoko rich, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump to meet Japan’s leader about North Korea summit," 28 May 2018
Arkadina is a successful actress, whose self-satisfaction is complete and joyous, like a child.

— mick lasalle, Houston Chronicle, "Review: Bening, Moss, Stoll and Ronan make a flawed ‘Seagull’ almost fly," 23 May 2018
Moon's visit to Washington is taking place as the administration remains committed to pursuing its goals of complete and total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula -- a topic that will be up for discussion during the leader's visit.

— CBS News, "USS Milius, guided-missile destroyer, arrives in Japan before Trump-Kim summit," 22 May 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.

Origin and Etymology of complete

Middle English complet, from Latin completus, from past participle of complēre — see ¹complement

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

complete Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of complete

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

complete

verb

Definition of complete

completed; completing

transitive verb

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

complete a painting

2 a : 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.

See complete defined for English-language learners

Examples of complete in a Sentence

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 of complete from the Web

An officer who completes a probationary program for drunken driving, for example, may be taken off the list after returning to active duty.

— mark fazlollah, Philly.com, "Philly DA Larry Krasner seeking to develop comprehensive list of tainted cops," 4 June 2018
The side judge on the field initially signaled touchdown, but officials conferred and ruled that Johnson did not complete the process of the catch.

— dave birkett, Detroit Free Press, "Calvin Johnson applauds new catch rule: 'We knew it was a catch from Day 1'," 4 June 2018
Time Most Americans are finished with income taxes for the year, having completed and filed their returns under the old rules.

— russ wiles, azcentral, "5 myths and misconceptions about new income-tax rules," 3 June 2018
Fellows like Snyder are doctors who have completed their standard three- to six-year residency training for a medical specialty and are pursuing optional training in a sub-specialty.

— catherine ho, San Francisco Chronicle, "As opioid crisis grows, medical schools bolster addiction training," 2 June 2018
Such comments suggest that any deal for Fekir will not be completed before the World Cup as first suggested however - as with Virgil van Dijk last summer - a friend of the Liverpool target has heavily tipped them to join the Reds.

— SI.com, "Friend of France International Reveals on Social Media He Will Join Liverpool After 2018 World Cup," 2 June 2018
Only a doctor who has completed a state course on marijuana can approve a patient.

— glenn garvin, miamiherald, "As marijuana dispensaries open their doors, Florida registers 5,400 new users per week," 1 June 2018
Some here wonder why such efforts weren’t completed before businesses reopened.

— luke broadwater, baltimoresun.com, "It could cost $85 million to make Ellicott City safer from flooding — but that still wouldn't eliminate the threat. Should the historic town be rebuilt?," 1 June 2018
While the US Army Corps of Engineers has completed the majority of debris removal, the cleanup continues.

— leyla santiago, CNN, "Still mending Maria's mess, Puerto Rico braces for a new hurricane season," 1 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of complete

see ¹complete

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

complete Synonyms

Synonyms

answer, comply (with), fill, fulfill (or fulfil), keep, meet, redeem, satisfy;

Antonyms

breach, break, transgress, violate;

Near Antonyms

default (on);

disregard, forget, ignore, neglect, overlook, overpass, pass over, slight;

accomplish, achieve, bring about, bring off, carry out, effect;

commit, compass, discharge, execute, follow through (with), make, perform;

Phrases

abide by, make good (or make good on);

Synonym Discussion of complete

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

COMPLETE Defined for English Language Learners

complete

adjective

Definition of complete for English Language Learners

: having all necessary parts : not lacking anything
: not limited in any way
: not requiring more work : entirely done or completed

complete

verb

Definition of complete for English Language Learners

: 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

COMPLETE Defined for Kids

complete

adjective com·plete \ kəm-ˈplēt \

Definition of complete for Students

1 : having all necessary parts : not lacking anything

a complete set of books

2 : entirely done

His training is complete.

3 : thorough 1

complete darkness

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completeness

noun

Word Root of complete

The Latin word plēre, meaning “to fill,” gives us the root ple. Words from the Latin plēre have something to do with filling or being full. Anything replete with something is full of that particular thing or quality. Something complete is totally full and finished. To deplete is to lessen the amount of something that was once full. A supplement is something that fills in something that is missing.