finish

verb fin·ish \ ˈfi-nish \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: finish in a Sentence

Definition of finish

finished; finishing; finishes

intransitive verb

1 a : to come to an end : terminate

The meeting finished at noon.

b : end 1b

2 a : to come to the end of a course, task, or undertaking

I shall finish with a Chopin nocturne
—Lillian Hellman

b : to end relations —used with with

decided to finish with him for good

3 : to end a competition in a specified manner or position

finished third in the race

transitive verb

1 a : to bring to an end : terminate

finished the speech and sat down

b : to use or dispose of entirely

her sandwich finished the loaf

2 a : to bring to completion or issue

hope to finish their new home before winter

b : to provide with a finish; especially : to put a final coat or surface on

finish a table with varnish

3 a : to defeat or ruin utterly and finally

the scandal finished his career

b : to bring about the death of —usually used with off

The gladiator finished off his opponent.

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finisher

noun

See finish defined for English-language learners

See finish defined for kids

Examples of finish in a Sentence

You can't watch TV until you finish your homework.
He started his homework two hours ago and he still hasn't finished.
They hope to finish their new home by winter.
They're building a new home and they hope to finish by winter.
The chairman finished the meeting at noon.
The meeting finished on a positive note.

Recent Examples of finish from the Web

The team finished with back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2010-11.

— matt murschel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "New coach Chip Kelly’s UCLA Bruins are No. 45 in 2018 preseason college football rankings," 13 July 2018
Southampton will be looking to strengthen their back line after finishing with a minus 19 goal difference last term.

— SI.com, "Denmark International Jannik Vestergaard Completes Medical Ahead of £18m Move to Southampton," 12 July 2018
After finishing third in its debut in 1998, the Croats were eliminated from the group stage at the 2002, 2006 and 2014 tournaments.

— chris lehourites, chicagotribune.com, "Croatia has surpassed the great Yugoslav teams of the past," 12 July 2018
Tired legs While England eased through the quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over Sweden, Croatia was forced into a penalty shootout against Russia after finishing extra time at 2-2.

— baltimoresun.com, "England vs. Croatia: What to watch for in today's World Cup semifinal," 11 July 2018
After finishing the World Cup season in Sweden, Randall retired from competition.

— roxanna scott, USA TODAY, "Olympic gold medalist Kikkan Randall diagnosed with breast cancer," 11 July 2018
After finishing the park, the foundation would turn it over to the city of Boise.

— sven berg, idahostatesman, "Locals want input on Boise's bike park plan. The City Council could decide soon.," 10 July 2018
In 2015, Mulder won his first title with 82 points after finishing seventh, third and eighth in the tournament between 2012-14.

— chris solari, Detroit Free Press, "Mark Mulder (MSU) eyes 4-peat at Tahoe celebrity golf tournament," 10 July 2018
After finishing his playing career, Pindell did everything to keep alive his hopes of playing professionally.

— shandel richardson, Sun-Sentinel.com, "With his playing days over, former FAU safety Troy Pindell finds success via YouTube channel," 9 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'finish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of finish

Middle English finisshen, borrowed from Anglo-French finiss-, stem of finir, going back to Latlin fīnīre "to mark out the boundaries, limit, put an end to, bring to a close," derivative of fīnis "boundary, limit, ending" — more at ¹final

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

finish Synonyms

Phrases

bite the dust;

Synonym Discussion of finish

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

finish

noun

Definition of finish

1 : something that completes or perfects: such as

a : the fine or decorative work required for a building or one of its parts

b : a finishing material used in painting

c : the final treatment or coating of a surface

d : the taste in the mouth after swallowing a beverage (such as wine)

2 a : final stage : end

b : the cause of one's ruin

3 : the result or product of a finishing process

a glossy finish

4 : the quality or state of being perfected

See finish defined for English-language learners

Examples of finish in a Sentence

a suspense film with a perfect surprise finish
The table had a shiny finish.
I need to put one more coat of finish on the chair.

Recent Examples of finish from the Web

The staff of 34 is trained to follow over 150 service steps from the start to the finish of your meal.

— casey quackenbush / hong kong, Time, "'We're Not Educated.' The Untold Story of Lung King Heen, the World's First Michelin Three-Star Chinese Restaurant," 12 July 2018
Unfortunately, Texas Tech doesn’t seem built to make a real run at a top-three finish in the Big 12.

— paul myerberg, USA TODAY, "Oklahoma's still the team to beat in the Big 12," 9 July 2018
When fans at the finish were informed of Froome's crash, many cheered.

— andrew dampf, chicagotribune.com, "4-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome flies off the road into a ditch in opening stage," 7 July 2018
When fans at the finish were informed of Froome’s crash, many cheered.

— New York Times, "Chris Froome Begins Tour de France in a Ditch," 7 July 2018
The most important judge was second-place finisher Kyle Larson, whom Busch pushed out of the way at the finish to get the win.

— tony baranek, Daily Southtown, "Contact sport: Kyle Busch survives bumping battle with Kyle Larson to end Chicagoland drought," 1 July 2018
The watermelon notes blend wonderfully with the lighter wheat tastes and come on strong at the finish.

— chris morris, Fortune, "6 Beers and 6 Wines to Improve Your Fourth of July Cookout," 29 June 2018
At the finish, Cullen McClain came away with first place.

— chris folks, Laurel Leader, "Fifth graders move on in elementary school celebration [West Laurel]," 28 June 2018
Repairs on the left front suspension of Rossi's car resulted in a long stop that left him 16th at the finish.

— dave kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Indy cars will keep coming back to Elkhart Lake. As for Milwaukee, 'it'd be impossible.'," 24 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of finish

derivative of ¹finish

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1779

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

finish Synonyms

Synonyms

capper, close, closing, conclusion, consummation, end, endgame, ending, finale, finis, grand finale, home stretch, mop-up, windup, wrap-up;

Antonyms

baseline, beginning, dawn, day one, nascence, nascency, opening, start;

Near Antonyms

foreword, introduction, overture, preamble, preface, prelude, prologue (also prolog);

aftermath, anticlimax, coda, epilogue (also epilog), postscript;

shank, tag end, tail end;

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

gimlet, mull, sake, setup, sommelier, syllabub, vintner, wassail

FINISH Defined for English Language Learners

finish

verb

Definition of finish for English Language Learners

: to reach the end of (something) : to stop doing (something) because it is completed
: to be done with building or creating (something)
: to cause something to end or stop : to reach the end of something

finish

noun

Definition of finish for English Language Learners

: the last part of something
: the final coating on a surface or the appearance produced by such a coating

FINISH Defined for Kids

finish

verb fin·ish \ ˈfi-nish \

Definition of finish for Students

finished; finishing

1 : to bring or come to an end : complete

2 : to use up completely

I finished the pie.

3 : to end a competition in a certain position

I finished third in the race.

4 : to put a final coat or surface on

He finished the wood table with varnish.

Word Root of finish

The Latin word finis, meaning “end” or “boundary,” gives us the root fin. Words from the Latin finis have something to do with ends or limits. Something final, such as the last chapter in a book, is the ending one. To confine is to put limits or boundaries around something. To finish something is to come to its end. Something finite has limits and happens only for a certain amount of time or in a certain space before it ends.