extinguish

verb

ex·​tin·​guish ik-ˈstiŋ-(g)wish 

extinguished; extinguishing; extinguishes

transitive verb

1

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

b

: to cause to cease burning : quench

c

: to cause extinction of (a conditioned response)

d

: to dim the brightness of : eclipse

2

a

: to cause to be void : nullify

extinguish a claim

b

: 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

Synonyms

• choke
• quench
• douse
• blanket
• dowse

Examples of extinguish in a Sentence

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

Firefighters extinguished the burning palm tree while another crew was sent to check the roof of the home, McDade said. —Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 14 Aug. 2025

The boater first tried to extinguish the flames on the vessel at Flaming Gorge Reservoir at about 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, the Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement said in a news release. —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2025

The efforts to extinguish the fire destroyed much of the physical evidence, leaving behind a crime scene that would haunt and confound the community for years to come. —Cat Cardenas, Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2025

Firefighters managed to get control of the blaze and extinguish it in just over an hour, with a cause for the blaze under investigation. —Hannah Parry peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin exstinguere (from ex- + stinguere to extinguish) + English -ish (as in abolish); akin to Latin instigare to incite — more at stick

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Rhymes for extinguish

• distinguish

Kids Definition

extinguish

verb

ex·​tin·​guish ik-ˈstiŋ-gwish 

1

: to cause to stop burning

2

: to cause to die out

extinguishable

-ə-bəl 

adjective

extinguisher noun

Medical Definition

extinguish

transitive verb

ex·​tin·​guish ik-ˈstiŋ-(g)wish 

: to cause extinction of (a conditioned response)

extinguish an avoidance response

Legal Definition

extinguish

transitive verb

ex·​tin·​guish

1

: to cause the nonexistence of : do away with

2

: to cause (as a claim or right) to be void : nullify

3

: to get rid of (a debt or other liability) by payment or other compensatory adjustment

extinguishable adjective

extinguishment noun