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
Relevance
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
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 extinguishing
For decades, fire-extinguishing foams containing PFAS seeped into the local aquifer during training exercises.
—
Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Casner said fire crews from Prospect, Southington and Wolcott assisted in extinguishing the fire.
—Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
One building has extensive charring on a staircase, and both units have severe damage to the attics, including holes that fire personnel cut in the course of extinguishing the fire.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Casner said fire crews from Prospect, Southington and Wolcott assisted in extinguishing the fire.
—Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
One building has extensive charring on a staircase, and both units have severe damage to the attics, including holes that fire personnel cut in the course of extinguishing the fire.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinguishing
Verb
-
In a video of the attack, Johnson is seen choking Cundiff for more than a minute and a half, resuming the strangling after Cundiff appeared unconscious, causing injuries to his throat and face.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Authorities in the United States and the United Kingdom have warned consumers that counterfeit Labubu are poorly made and may contain small, detachable parts such as eyes, hands, and feet, which present a serious choking hazard to young children.—
Haicen Yang,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The two initial quakes flattened villages in both provinces, destroying more than 6,700 homes, and rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble on Thursday.—
Mohammad Yunus Yawar,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
As Greengrass was editing the picture, wildfires tore through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena in Southern California, killing residents and destroying homes.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Activating your ninth house of expansion and third house of immediate surroundings, this tricky opposition is quenching your desire for adventure while pulling you back into shady debates and undercurrents with people that surround you.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
27 Aug. 2025
-
While there are plenty of quenching hair oils and split-end-smoothing leave-ins out there, nothing has made more of a difference to my puffy lengths than Color Wow’s Dreaming Advanced Repair and Resurfacing Treatment, $45.—
Jacqueline Kilikita,
Refinery29,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
About 90% of the former Spring Hill Mall is gone and work demolishing the final anchor store set to begin in the next couple of weeks, officials said.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
-
After filing the first lawsuit, attorney Katie Steele of Varghese Summersett also sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the owners from removing or destroying tenants’ property from the units, or demolishing the building, and to preserve critical evidence in the case.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But Kennedy has already propagated an insidious revolution within the agencies under his control, using a playbook familiar to illiberal leaders—culling expertise, silencing critics, and weaponizing administrative procedure to grant a veneer of legitimacy to his actions.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Moreno countered that the ruling party was silencing opposition voices and insisted Fernández Noroña had instigated the fight.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In no time, volcanic ash spreads to the heavily populated capital of Tokyo, fogging up the air and blanketing buildings and vehicles.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
27 Aug. 2025
-
More of the moon jellies suddenly made their way to the sea’s surface, with hundreds of the gelatinous creatures suddenly blanketing the harbor water’s surface in an awe-inspiring sight.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
And broadcasting your irritation too loudly risks ruining the atmosphere for everyone else just as much as their yelling or off-key chants.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Just as Alexis Bellino flubbed her second chance by aligning herself too closely with Johnny J, an Ed Hardy snapback that refuses to die, Gretchen is ruining hers by trying to relitigate things from the Obama Administration.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Nine of those points came in a 16-0 third quarter run that turned a seven-point deficit into a 61-52 lead heading to the fourth, quieting the packed house in San Francisco’s Chase Center.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
-
But instead of quieting interest in the case, the release of the memo has only left MAGA voices more insistent the administration release more information.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
17 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extinguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinguishing. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share