extinguishing

present participle of extinguish
1
as in choking
to cause to cease burning the fire in the skillet was quickly extinguished by slamming the lid on

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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

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

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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 Meraz said his family was extra careful extinguishing their fireworks. Noah Daly july 11, Idaho Statesman, 11 July 2026 After extinguishing the blaze, firefighters found the father dead on the home’s second floor. Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026 The next phase of operations will focus on accessing and extinguishing remaining fire within more interior areas of the building. Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026 Authorities cautioned that extinguishing the fire could take days or even weeks. Iris Salem, CBS News, 20 June 2026 On June 17, after extinguishing the blaze, police entered the home but didn’t find Sanchez-Muñoz. Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 20 June 2026 Alongside long-standing fire deficits, which resulted from the practice of quickly extinguishing fires rather than allowing low-level fires to burn away forest debris, these factors have escalated the potential for large fires in the West. Mukesh Kumar, The Conversation, 17 June 2026 Firefighters then shifted to mop-up operations, extinguishing hotspots within the containment lines. Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2026 The ensuing 11 pitches were all strikes to end the game, extinguishing the Dodgers’ hope and showing again how the Padres are doing this. Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinguishing
Verb
  • Since babies explore with their mouths, the balls could become a choking hazard.
    Sari Hitchins, Parents, 6 July 2026
  • The brand has received no reports of injury or death but did warn that consuming the metal and plastic parts could cause choking, lacerations or blockages in the gastrointestinal tract.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • Or tech companies forcing regular people to foot the electricity bills for their environment-destroying data centers!
    Rebekah Taussig, Time, 7 July 2026
  • Many older interceptor missiles use blast-fragmentation warheads, detonating near the incoming missile and destroying it with high-speed metal fragments.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • Trae Young won Madison Square Garden’s undying enmity in the 2021 playoffs for the Atlanta Hawks, punctuating game-breaking shots by shushing the crowd or bowing to the fans and waving goodbye.
    Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
  • Wine country with kids in tow doesn’t have to mean a stressful afternoon of shushing and screen time.
    Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2026
Verb
  • By quenching dryness, the formula delivers instantly glowy skin and smooths the appearance of fine lines (which are more prominent when skin is dehydrated).
    Sophie Wirt, InStyle, 22 June 2026
  • In particular, this energy could push away gas and dust that serves as the raw material for star formation, thus quenching star birth in galaxies.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • Djokovic put in a masterful performance against a player who had gone in as many people’s favorite after demolishing the champion of two years earlier, Andy Murray, in the semifinals.
    Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • The redevelopment plan involves demolishing a section of the existing shopping center to accommodate a new 47,000-square-foot Publix grocery store.
    Catherine Muccigrosso July 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Wainua's failure means that Alnylam's drug Amvuttra will be the only silencer, giving it a monopoly in the $15 billion to $20 billion market for ATTR cardiomyopathy silencing drugs, Oppenheimer analyst Kostas Biliouris wrote in a note Thursday.
    Elsa Ohlen,Angelica Peebles, CNBC, 9 July 2026
  • England weathered the storm, silencing the sea of green with a ruthless finishing display to escape with a dramatic 3-2 victory.
    Alejandro Avila, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • With one acrobatic slam after another, Yaxel Lendeborg cut through the sleepy atmosphere blanketing the pregame layup lines, injecting some energy into a crowd that was waiting to watch the team’s first summer league game at Chase Center on Friday.
    Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
  • Also, science reporter Denise Chow talks about the extreme heat blanketing the nation just in time for its 250th birthday.
    Michelle Garcia, NBC news, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • But the neighboring 171-feet Shelborne By Proper hotel says the new tower will cast a shadow over its pool, ruining the experience for guests at the luxury hotel.
    Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026
  • Water had seeped in everywhere on that floor, ruining the carpet, as well as other items.
    Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 4 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Extinguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinguishing. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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