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 While lighting candles of various colors is part of its veneration, Saint Death has nothing to do with fires or extinguishing them. Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025 As Mathias Jensen’s 95th-minute strike clattered into the net, at once extinguishing Manchester United’s stuttering attempt to come back from two early goals down at Brentford on Saturday lunchtime, a lot of attention turned to the away dugout. Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025 After extinguishing the fire, officials found Robert Hill, 44, deceased with severe burns, apparent head trauma, and signs of decomposition, according to Melesa Johnson with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office. Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025 The flight, which was headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was diverted, with flight attendants extinguishing the device and declaring an emergency, as Fox 5 and other outlets reported. Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025 Moisture of extinction was reached across most of the fire, extinguishing fine dead fuels. Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025 Robust and verifiable world models could uncover, if not the El Dorado of AGI, then at least a scientifically plausible tool for extinguishing AI hallucinations, enabling reliable reasoning, and increasing the interpretability of AI systems. John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinguishing
Verb
  • The suspect, Mario Camacho, 27, was reportedly armed with a knife and choking his younger brother.
    Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
  • For younger children, this is a matter of safety, since toys intended for older kids can contain small parts that pose choking hazards or materials that aren’t safe to chew.
    Anja Webb, Parents, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Overdevelopment destroying our communities.
    Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Unless this is another ploy by women who are intent on destroying each other.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 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
  • Booing begins, and then shushing, and then booing again.
    Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • This rich yet silky balm delivers up to 24 hours of moisture, instantly quenching dry, chapped lips and locking it in for lasting softness.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 25 Oct. 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
  • The White House has required at least some of the construction workers tasked with demolishing the East Wing to sign nondisclosure agreements barring them from discussing their work, according to sources familiar with the project.
    Dr. Mark Abdelmalek, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Just last week, the Facchino Family began demolishing structures at its 13-acre property at 1655 Berryessa Road before construction commences on a new mixed-income neighborhood near the BART Station.
    Devan Patel, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Dozens of pending lawsuits accuse churches of shielding predators, silencing victims and allowing abuse to fester unchecked.
    Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The British did not have legislation as all-silencing as this.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Hirschhorn wrote that Beijing’s surveillance abilities were nothing compared to the half-million surveillance cameras blanketing London.
    Byron Tau, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The eero 6+ mesh system is $105 off and instantly fixes dead zones, blanketing your space in fast, stable Wi-Fi while doubling as a smart-home hub.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Chiefs have seen some of league’s premier running backs — such as Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs — and have met each challenge, preventing those elite players from ruining the defensive game plan.
    Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Clark reiterated his belief that the Dodgers are not ruining baseball.
    Evan Drellich, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Extinguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinguishing. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.

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