1
as in to choke
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 to destroy
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 to shush
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 extinguish The fire throughout the port was fully contained and 80% extinguished by Sunday, Iranian authorities said. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2025 All traffic was stopped in Bore 1 and Bore 2 while crews worked to extinguish the fire and clear the scene. Jason Green, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2025 That light was extinguished far too soon because of hazing. Essence News Editors, Essence, 18 Apr. 2025 In longleaf pine savannas, for instance, the standard practice of rapidly extinguishing wildfires has meant hardwood trees typically associated with denser, moister forests have grown up amid the pines. Reed Frederick Noss, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for extinguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinguish
Verb
  • Are there really women out there who want Badgley to put on his Joe Goldberg cap and choke them?
    Judy Berman, Time, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Southern California has been choked by smog since the mass adoption of the automobile.
    Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • More than half a dozen tornadoes have been confirmed, including one in Marshall County, Oklahoma, that left two homes completely destroyed and damaged about 20 others.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The war has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and most of its food production capabilities.
    Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • One day at the Scottish Open, a volunteer held up the quiet sign and shushed the crowd as Morikawa prepared to hit from the fairway.
    Brody Miller, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Fathers shushed babbling toddlers as their wives snuck out to change infants’ diapers.
    Carlos Nogueras Ramos, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Sunrise on the Reaping First Look There are no first-look images from the set or trailers to quench our thirst just yet, but Lionsgate did give fans a little something to hang onto during this year's CinemaCon.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Now Warning Issued To All iPhone Users NYT Mini Today: Hints, Clues And Answers For Wednesday, April 2 Cory Booker Breaks Record With 25-Hour Speech Blasting Trump Use it for: Mixing with bold spirits, quenching your thirst, or cutting juices for a lighter spritz.
    Emily Price, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Purdy put his reporter’s hat back on and dug up that the 38 S. Fifth St. house — which would have sat in the plaza just south of the city council chambers — was demolished after an arson fire damaged it beyond repair.
    Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2025
  • In Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, residents said the Israeli military demolished more homes in the city, which has all come under Israeli control in the past days in what Israeli leaders said was an expansion of security zones in Gaza to put more pressure on Hamas to release remaining hostages.
    Nidal al-Mughrabi, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Court officers guided them to seats on benches, instructing them to silence their cell phones.
    Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2025
  • His detention is an attempt to silence those who speak out against the atrocities in Gaza.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Carrington’s teammates converged on him for a celebratory dogpile and, as Carrington told reporters in Miami afterward, doused him with cold water in the visitors’ locker room.
    Josh Robbins, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • But flash flood risks remained as rain doused most of Arkansas.
    Amir Mahmoud, Arkansas Online, 5 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
    Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 27 Apr. 2025
  • There is nothing that can ruin trying to sleep through a redeye like the sunrise hitting your face.
    Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Extinguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinguish. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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