conclude

verb

con·​clude kən-ˈklüd How to pronounce conclude (audio)
concluded; concluding

transitive verb

1
: to bring to an end especially in a particular way or with a particular action
conclude a meeting
2
a
: to reach as a logically necessary end by reasoning : infer on the basis of evidence
concluded that her argument was sound
b
: to make a decision about : decide
concluded he would wait a little longer
c
: to come to an agreement on : effect
conclude a sale
concluded a peace treaty
3
: to bring about as a result : complete
4
obsolete : to shut up : enclose

intransitive verb

1
: end
The festivities concluded at midnight.
2
a
: to form a final judgment
b
: to reach a decision or agreement
concluder noun
Choose the Right Synonym for conclude

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

infer, deduce, conclude, judge, gather mean to arrive at a mental conclusion.

infer implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence; if the evidence is slight, the term comes close to surmise.

from that remark, I inferred that they knew each other

deduce often adds to infer the special implication of drawing a particular inference from a generalization.

denied we could deduce anything important from human mortality

conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning.

concluded that only the accused could be guilty

judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based.

judge people by their actions

gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications.

gathered their desire to be alone without a word

Examples of conclude in a Sentence

The investigation has not yet concluded. The meeting concluded at noon. The chairman concluded by wishing us all a happy holiday. We concluded the meeting on a happy note. The chairman concluded his speech by wishing us all a happy holiday. We conclude from our review of the evidence that they are right. Many studies have concluded that smoking is dangerous. The speech, many historians concluded, was the most important of his career. Their effort to conclude an agreement was a success.
Recent Examples on the Web If the championship series in each league concludes in no more than five games, the start of the World Series moves up three days. Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024 The study in question, however, didn’t conclude anything of the sort. Deanna Pai, Allure, 18 Oct. 2024 Postmortem examinations concluded that these animals likely became caught while alive. Danielle Beurteaux, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Oct. 2024 The scientists concluded that this change would result in significant increases in important nutrients that many people lack, such as dietary fiber, magnesium, potassium, and iron. Becky Upham, EverydayHealth.com, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for conclude 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conclude.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin concludere to shut up, end, infer, from com- + claudere to shut — more at close entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

Time Traveler
The first known use of conclude was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near conclude

Cite this Entry

“Conclude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conclude. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

conclude

verb
con·​clude kən-ˈklüd How to pronounce conclude (audio)
concluded; concluding
1
: to bring or come to an end : finish
conclude a speech
2
: to form an opinion : decide by reasoning
conclude that they are right
3
: to bring about as a result : arrange
conclude an agreement
concluder noun

More from Merriam-Webster on conclude

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!