1
as in choking
to cause to cease burning
the fire in the skillet was quickly extinguished by slamming the lid on
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroying
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shushing
to stop the noise or speech of
her final, telling point extinguished her opponents on the city council
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of extinguishing
The cigar ashes were traced to Hilary Brooke Inman, 38, of Marion, who faces a misdemeanor charge of starting a woodland fire and not extinguishing it, state officials said.
—
Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
There was a risk of electrocution, so firefighters needed to confirm with Xcel Energy that power to the area was out before extinguishing the vehicle fire, Smith said.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 30 Mar. 2026
The building's sprinkler system put out the majority of the flames before crews finished extinguishing them.
—Raul Trey Lopez, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Mar. 2026
He is also accused of setting fire on March 2 to an electrical vault at a warehouse, with the fire eventually self-extinguishing, according to the district attorney’s office.
—City News Service, Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
Additional San Juan National Forest firefighters hiked into the area on Tuesday to assist with cutting fire lines and extinguishing heavy fuels.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
In addition to extinguishing fires, the Unmanned Firefighting Robot can collect and digitize data from disaster scenes.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
Should a fire break out, the walls, seat backs, and tray tables are made with self-extinguishing polymers that won’t give off toxic fumes.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
The clock might have struck midnight for a team of such enormous expectations and possibility, losing 83-74 in the orange haze of Moby Arena and likely extinguishing their already dwindling hopes of an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
There was a risk of electrocution, so firefighters needed to confirm with Xcel Energy that power to the area was out before extinguishing the vehicle fire, Smith said.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 30 Mar. 2026
The building's sprinkler system put out the majority of the flames before crews finished extinguishing them.
—Raul Trey Lopez, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Mar. 2026
He is also accused of setting fire on March 2 to an electrical vault at a warehouse, with the fire eventually self-extinguishing, according to the district attorney’s office.
—City News Service, Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
Additional San Juan National Forest firefighters hiked into the area on Tuesday to assist with cutting fire lines and extinguishing heavy fuels.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
In addition to extinguishing fires, the Unmanned Firefighting Robot can collect and digitize data from disaster scenes.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
Should a fire break out, the walls, seat backs, and tray tables are made with self-extinguishing polymers that won’t give off toxic fumes.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
The clock might have struck midnight for a team of such enormous expectations and possibility, losing 83-74 in the orange haze of Moby Arena and likely extinguishing their already dwindling hopes of an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinguishing
Verb
-
Sadie Robertson experienced every parent's worst nightmare when her 8-month-old daughter, Kit, stopped breathing after choking on a snack.—
Leigh Blickley,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
-
But what exactly does choking access to the region’s oil exports via the Strait of Hormuz mean and what does Trump want to accomplish?—
Garrett Downs,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Hamas’ charter calls for destroying Israel.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
When season five begins, Ed is a leader in the separatist group the Sons and Daughters of Mars, a former agent of the ruling order now intent on destroying it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Levy sat on the floor, watching like a proud father and shushing whisperers.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Top sleep aid for kids This extremely popular sound machine uses an authentic human voice to calm babies to sleep with a calming, shushing sound.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
On a Monday last spring, Guelleh stood watching a procession of goats, donkeys and camels quenching their thirst at the water tank that once supplied his field.—
Julie Bourdin,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
-
An almond-sized dollop suffices for quenching my thirsty complexion, which adopts a satiny appearance and velvety smoothness—without greasiness or excess shine—in seconds.—
Sophie Wirt,
InStyle,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The musician and fashion mogul began the process of demolishing the architectural gem, completely stripping its electricity, plumbing, bathrooms, and windows.—
India Roby,
Architectural Digest,
8 Apr. 2026
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The Michigan basketball team is headed to the NCAA national championship game Monday night after demolishing Arizona 93-71 in the Final Four on Saturday in Indianapolis.—
Brian Manzullo,
Freep.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As war descended on Iran, the regime once again cut off internet and communications across the country, controlling its people and silencing their messages of resilience.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of silencing the public and turning them away, Democrats should stay and do the job they were elected to do.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The former Exide Technologies plant in Vernon melted down pallets of lead-acid car batteries in blast furnaces for nearly a century, blanketing up to 10,000 nearby properties with toxic dust, according to state officials.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
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Spring is officially in the air in North Carolina, as marked by the yellowish-green pollen that has begun blanketing everything from cars to patio furniture.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Monday’s game offered yet another example of how the team that supposedly is ruining baseball is fattening the wallets of the league’s other 29 teams.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Your couch has a fabric cleaning code — usually printed on a tag tucked under the cushions — and ignoring it can mean ruining the upholstery.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extinguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinguishing. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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