1
as in to choke
to cause to cease burning the fire in the skillet was quickly extinguished by slamming the lid on

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of a fatal blunder that extinguished all hope that the team would actually win the play-offs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in to shush
to stop the noise or speech of her final, telling point extinguished her opponents on the city council

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extinguish Water could not extinguish Greek fire, and to this day the exact formula for making the deadly substance is unknown. Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025 Set a reminder, such as an alert on your phone or a sticky note on your bathroom mirror, to extinguish the candle. Staff Author, Verywell Health, 29 Sep. 2025 Flames and smoke poured from the large church for hours before the blaze was extinguished. Isabella Volmert, Twin Cities, 29 Sep. 2025 Video from the scene shows dark billowing smoke rising into the air and multiple firetrucks working to extinguish the fire. Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for extinguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinguish
Verb
  • The young girl allegedly told police she was beaten with belts, cords, and sticks, while she was also cut with scissors and choked with a belt, per ABC 13 citing the Sheriff's Office.
    Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Just remember that eating chia seeds dry can be a choking hazard and cause gastrointestinal discomfort.
    Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The fear of further Israeli strikes, particularly on Iran, remains acute in the public’s mind as much of Iranian air defenses likely were destroyed by Israel in June.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The Wild were absolutely destroyed in the faceoff circle, losing 44 of 71 (38 percent success rate).
    Michael Russo, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the clip, the then-6-year-old can be seen walking with his iPad to the next room and shushing everyone.
    Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The View has a long history of guests receiving sustained standing ovations — and Goldberg attempting to shush rowdy audience members.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • French smart telescope pioneer Vaonis helps quench my thirst with a special edition of its flagship that puts the inner workings on view.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Traditional methods rely on heating metals to extreme temperatures, then rapidly quenching them to trap atoms in a chaotic arrangement.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Neighbors for a Better San Diego, a group that represents mostly single-family homeowners and opposes nearby higher-density development, criticized the report for not tracking how many homes get demolished to make way for new projects.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The Premier League club had previously intended to demolish the Peter Taylor Stand — the oldest, and smallest, of the City Ground’s four — and replace it with an entirely new structure, increasing capacity from just over 30,000 to around 35,000.
    Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Advertisement The arguments against conversion therapy aren’t about attacking religion or silencing free speech.
    Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Guerrero homered for a third straight game in Tuesday’s first inning, silencing the New York crowd with a 427-foot blast to snatch the Jays an early two-run lead.
    Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Any chance of the Los Angeles Dodgers dousing each other with champagne on Wednesday flew away into the night with one mammoth, memorable swing.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Tole’s lawsuit said Sanchez entered Tole’s truck without permission, then physically blocked and shoved Tole, who then doused Sanchez with pepper spray.
    Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Back in January, Preston remembered filming My Best Friend’s Wedding — and how an iconic scene ruined crab and lobster for her.
    Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Packages of flying tortillas thrown at the wrong time, or pocket knives, would only hurt a reputation that Texas Tech has worked doggedly to change and show that the Red Raiders are at home on a national stage, and not the crazy drunk uncle ruining a holiday.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Extinguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinguish. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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