extinguish

verb

ex·tin·guish ik-ˈstiŋ-(g)wish

extinguished; extinguishing; extinguishes

Synonyms of extinguish next

transitive verb

a(1)

: to bring to an end : make an end of

hope for their safety was slowly extinguished

(2)

: to reduce to silence or ineffectiveness

: to cause to cease burning : quench

: to cause extinction of (a conditioned response)

: to dim the brightness of : eclipse

: to cause to be void : nullify

extinguish a claim

: to get rid of usually by payment

extinguish a debt

extinguishable

ik-ˈstiŋ-(g)wi-shə-bəl

adjective

extinguisher

ik-ˈstiŋ-(g)wi-shər

noun

extinguishment

ik-ˈstiŋ-(g)wish-mənt

noun

Example Sentences

The fire department was called in to extinguish the blaze. He extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray. They ruthlessly extinguished all resistance. News of the conflict extinguished our hopes for a peaceful resolution.

Recent Examples on the Web The fire was likely caused by a generator and was extinguished by an onboard fire suppression system, Blanchard said. —

Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, 6 June 2023 More than half a dozen houseboats momentarily caught fire at a popular boating destination on the Utah-Arizona line on Friday, igniting while tourists and jet skiers stood by before the flames were extinguished. —

Sam Metz And Rio Yamat, The Arizona Republic, 3 June 2023 During the service, the pensioner with a powder-blue headscarf helps light and extinguish prayer candles. —

Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 May 2023 Once the blaze was extinguished, firefighters found the unresponsive victim inside. —

Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 23 May 2023 The flames from Tuesday’s apartment-building fire at Southwest 14th Avenue and Taylor Street have been completely extinguished after Portland Fire & Rescue stayed on the scene overnight to continue dumping water on the building, the fire bureau said. —

oregonlive, 17 May 2023 Stephen Curry led Golden State with 27, hitting a huge three at the buzzer before half and extinguishing the Lakers’ comeback attempts in the fourth with seven-straight points for Golden State. —

Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2023 Two dozen fire personnel and 10 pieces of equipment were needed to knock down the flames, which took about 15 minutes to get under control and another 90 minutes to ensure it was completely extinguished, the release said. —

Naperville Sun Staff, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2023 An unconditioned model might tell you how to build a bomb, that one race should extinguish another, or try to convince you to jump off a cliff. —

Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 9 May 2023 See More

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