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
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Recent Examples of extinguishing
The ocean followed her, flooding the holes, extinguishing the heat.
—
Tommy Orange, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
Firefighters began extinguishing the flames, and immediately conducted searches for victims.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
As firefighters waited for LAPD officers to arrive, some federal agents exited the building and began dispersing the crowd, while others began extinguishing the flames.
—Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Riot police still patrolled these areas on motorbikes, and the city’s fire brigade and municipal workers were out cleaning streets and extinguishing fires.
—Davood Moradian, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
After rushing to the scene and extinguishing the blaze, investigators found home surveillance videos that showed exactly how the fire started.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Dolly Parton is nearly too hot to handle on her 80th birthday, as the iconic singer-songwriter shared a new round of celebratory photos — including one of her extinguishing a flaming cake — after her recent health issues.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
Firefighters were extinguishing flames in what authorities described as possibly vacant homes when a K-9 unit later located a body.
—Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2026
Carson Beck was the hero, extinguishing Miami’s 0-4 misery at the Fiesta Bowl.
—The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Tommy Orange, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
Firefighters began extinguishing the flames, and immediately conducted searches for victims.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
As firefighters waited for LAPD officers to arrive, some federal agents exited the building and began dispersing the crowd, while others began extinguishing the flames.
—Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Riot police still patrolled these areas on motorbikes, and the city’s fire brigade and municipal workers were out cleaning streets and extinguishing fires.
—Davood Moradian, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
After rushing to the scene and extinguishing the blaze, investigators found home surveillance videos that showed exactly how the fire started.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Dolly Parton is nearly too hot to handle on her 80th birthday, as the iconic singer-songwriter shared a new round of celebratory photos — including one of her extinguishing a flaming cake — after her recent health issues.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
Firefighters were extinguishing flames in what authorities described as possibly vacant homes when a K-9 unit later located a body.
—Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2026
Carson Beck was the hero, extinguishing Miami’s 0-4 misery at the Fiesta Bowl.
—The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinguishing
Verb
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The child, who had been choking on mucus, was taken to Jacobi Hospital as a precaution and is doing well, police said.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Braddy’s criminal history included convictions for robbery, kidnapping and attempting to kill a corrections officer by choking him.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Modesto Fire Department Firefighters quickly contained and extinguished the fire, preventing it from destroying the home, officials said.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
-
By the way, the last scene of The Conversation has the paranoid Gene Hackman destroying his apartment in a desperate and futile search for listening devices.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Kempe then put a gloved finger to his lips, shushing the sixth consecutive sellout crowd in Anaheim.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Rather than just quenching the plasma with gas or frozen pellets, the new study investigates magnetic island dynamics.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Jan. 2026
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However, looks aren't the only reason Madix has been quenching our thirst lately.—
Breanna Davis,
Refinery29,
19 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Crews are demolishing Westport infrastructure to construct an underground storage basin to hold water that previously would have flooded Westport buildings.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
-
On Thursday morning, crews were nearly finished demolishing the adjacent structures, one of which was damaged by a fire in March 2024.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But freedom of expression is a constant pursuit, as natural as breathing, and silencing it is an imperfect practice that exhausts the oppressor and energizes the oppressed.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
-
On Sunday, Alnylam, the gene-silencing company that notched one gigantic accomplishment after another over the past five years, set out a plan for the next five years built on yet more innovation and growth.—
Matthew Herper,
STAT,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some people went for a jog, others brought out their pets for a taste of the frozen precipitation blanketing the Charlotte region on Saturday.—
Emily Broyles,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Frigid winter weather is blanketing other parts of the country.—
Leah Olajide,
Freep.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In fact, for some items, a standard cold wash can be ruining.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The Dodgers’ $240-million signing of Kyle Tucker revived anguished cries that the team is ruining baseball.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extinguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinguishing. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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