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 Phrases Containing complete Learn More About complete

Other Words from complete

Adjective

completely adverb

completeness noun

completive \ kəm-ˈplē-tiv

\ 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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The African Village designed by Faust and the monorail were still under construction when Massena arrived, but everything was complete by opening day. — Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2022 The small but mighty fan is complete with three speeds and a head that can be pivoted up to 90 degrees. — Amy Schulman, PEOPLE.com, 16 May 2022 Once your letters are complete, bring them to any A Million Thanks drop-off locations to guarantee a safe, speedy arrival. — Cameron Jenkins, Good Housekeeping, 16 May 2022 An awards show in 2022 wouldn’t be complete without the Hot Girl coach. — Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 15 May 2022 Once the settlement is complete, Aleo and Lesser said, the families who had filed a class-action lawsuit against four leaders of the home and against the state's secretary of veterans' services in July 2020 will drop their case. — Democrat-gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 14 May 2022 And because no evening is complete without a nightcap, head up to Reynard Social. — Katie Chang, Forbes, 14 May 2022 The project is scheduled to be complete at the end of August, Lutheran athletic director Jeff Sitz said. — Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 13 May 2022 In fact, an entire clean cycle can be complete in just 1.5 hours. — Adria Greenhauff, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The Browns achieved many goals the past few days, but trading quarterback Baker Mayfield is a task general manager Andrew Berry has yet to complete. — Nate Ulrich, USA TODAY, 1 May 2022 Ramirez had to complete a physical as the final step of the deal and once the Guardians returned home from their two-game sweep of Cincinnati on Wednesday, that task was completed. — Paul Hoynes, cleveland, 14 Apr. 2022 Meta said in a blog post on Wednesday that advertisers in the Philippines will have to complete its ad authorizations process and include 'Paid for by' disclaimers on ads about elections, politics and certain categories of social issues. — Reuters, CNN, 8 Apr. 2022 Other people in our family had to complete evaluations as well. — Kate Swenson, The Week, 5 Apr. 2022 Before the pandemic intervened, college students had five years to complete four seasons of play. — New York Times, 2 Apr. 2022 But before the gardening could begin, some of the biggest steps Keel and Parrish had to complete involved platting the property — meaning buying and developing vacant land — and installing water service. — Elena Bruess, San Antonio Express-News, 27 Mar. 2022 At that point, Iran would still have to complete several complicated, technical steps to build a nuclear warhead, but reaching that nuclear threshold would be deeply alarming. — Conor Finnegan, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2022 Every two years, the physician has to complete a two-hour refresher course related to medical marijuana. — al, 26 Mar. 2022 See More

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.

Learn More About complete

Dictionary Entries Near complete

complementor

complete

complete and utter

Statistics for complete

Last Updated

19 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Complete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complete. Accessed 19 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for complete

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