finish

/ˈfɪnɪʃ/

/ˈfɪnɪʃ/

Other forms: finished; finishing; finishes

To finish something is to complete it or bring it to a conclusion. If you finished a race, you completed it — even if you didn’t come in first.

Finishing is about concluding. If you finished a novel, you read the whole thing. Finishing a job means the job is done. This word can also refer to a coating or polish used to make furniture look nicer or fancier. If you say someone has a finished look about them, they don’t actually have a coating or polish, of course — but the effect is the same. They have a clean, cultured, polished appearance.

Definitions of finish

1. verb

   come or bring to a finish or an end
   “He finished the dishes”

   “The fastest runner finished the race in just over 2 hours”

   “others finished in over 4 hours”

   synonyms: complete

   types:

   close

   finish a game in baseball by protecting a lead

   top, top off

   finish up or conclude

   clear up, finish off, finish up, get through, mop up, polish off, wrap up

   finish a task completely

   see through

   remain with until completion

   finish out, round out

   fill out

   carry out, follow out, follow through, follow up, go through, implement, put through

   pursue to a conclusion or bring to a successful issue

   accomplish, action, carry out, carry through, execute, fulfil, fulfill

   put in effect

   cap off

   finish or complete, as with some decisive action

   adhere

   follow through or carry out a plan without deviation

   get over

   to bring (a necessary but unpleasant task) to an end

   run

   carry out

   consummate

   make perfect; bring to perfection

   consummate

   fulfill sexually

   do, perform

   get (something) done

   complete, discharge, dispatch

   complete or carry out

   type of:

   end, terminate

   bring to an end or halt
2. verb

   have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
   synonyms: cease, end, stop, terminate

   types:

   pass away

   go out of existence

   lapse

   end, at least for a long time

   cut out

   cease operating

   go out

   become extinguished

   adjourn, break up, recess

   close at the end of a session

   disappear, vanish

   cease to exist

   climax, culminate

   end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage

   run out

   become used up; be exhausted

   go, run low, run short

   to be spent or finished

   disappear, go away, vanish

   become invisible or unnoticeable

   close, conclude

   come to a close

   come out, turn out

   result or end

   discontinue

   come to or be at an end

   break

   come to an end

   dematerialise, dematerialize

   become immaterial; disappear

   crown, top

   be the culminating event

   clear, dissipate

   go away or disappear

   bob under

   disappear suddenly, as if under the surface of a body of water

   eventuate

   come out in the end

   work out

   happen in a certain way, leading to, producing, or resulting in a certain outcome, often well

   fizzle, fizzle out, peter out, taper off

   end weakly

   leave off

   come to an end, stop or cease

   expire, run out

   lose validity
3. verb

   cause to finish a relationship with somebody
   “That finished me with Mary”

   type of:

   end, terminate

   bring to an end or halt
4. verb

   finish eating all the food on one's plate or on the table
   synonyms: eat up, polish off

   types:

   put away, tuck away, tuck in

   eat up; usually refers to a considerable quantity of food

   type of:

   eat

   take in solid food
5. verb

   finally be or do something
   synonyms: end up, fetch up, finish up, land up, wind up

   type of:

   act, move

   perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
6. noun

   the act of finishing
   “his best finish in a major tournament was third”

   “the speaker's finishing was greeted with applause”

   synonyms: finishing

   antonyms:

   start

   the act of starting something

   types:

   close, closing curtain, finale, finis

   the concluding part of any performance

   type of:

   closing, completion, culmination, mop up, windup

   a concluding action
7. noun

   the temporal end; the concluding time
   “the market was up at the finish”

   synonyms: close, conclusion, finale, finis, last, stopping point

   type of:

   end, ending

   the point in time at which something ends
8. noun

   event whose occurrence ends something
   “when these final episodes are broadcast it will be the finish of the show”

   synonyms: conclusion, ending

   types:

   end, final stage, last

   the concluding parts of an event or occurrence

   final result, outcome, result, resultant, termination

   something that results

   foregone conclusion, matter of course

   an inevitable ending

   demolition, destruction, wipeout

   an event (or the result of an event) that completely destroys something

   Z, omega

   the ending of a series or sequence

   halt, kibosh, stop

   the event of something ending

   triumph, victory

   a successful ending of a struggle or contest

   defeat, licking

   an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest

   end game, endgame

   the final stages of a chess game after most of the pieces have been removed from the board

   end game, endgame

   the final stages of an extended process of negotiation

   homestretch

   the end of an enterprise

   passing

   the end of something

   denouement

   the outcome of a complex sequence of events

   deal

   the type of treatment received (especially as the result of an agreement)

   decision

   the outcome of a game or contest

   decision

   (boxing) a victory won on points when no knockout has occurred

   aftermath, consequence

   the outcome of an event especially as relative to an individual

   just deserts, poetic justice

   an outcome in which virtue triumphs over vice (often ironically)

   separation

   the termination of employment (by resignation or dismissal)

   sequel, subsequence

   something that follows something else

   worst

   the least favorable outcome

   annihilation, disintegration

   total destruction

   eradication, obliteration

   the complete destruction of every trace of something

   depredation, ravage

   (usually plural) a destructive action

   razing, wrecking

   the event of a structure being completely demolished and leveled

   ruin, ruination

   an event that results in destruction

   rack, wrack

   the destruction or collapse of something

   win

   a victory (as in a race or other competition)

   cessation, surcease

   a stopping

   stand, standstill, tie-up

   an interruption of normal activity

   fall, pin

   when a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat

   independence

   the successful ending of the American Revolution

   landslide

   an overwhelming electoral victory

   last laugh

   ultimate success achieved after a near failure (inspired by the saying `he laughs best who laughs last')

   Pyrrhic victory

   a victory that is won by incurring terrible losses

   slam, sweep

   winning all or all but one of the tricks in bridge

   checkmate

   complete victory

   blowout, laugher, romp, runaway, shoo-in, walkaway

   an easy victory

   service break

   a tennis game won on the opponent's service

   walk-in, waltz

   an assured victory (especially in an election)

   heartbreaker

   a narrow defeat or a defeat at the last minute

   lurch

   a decisive defeat in a game (especially in cribbage)

   rout

   an overwhelming defeat

   shutout, skunk

   a defeat in a game where one side fails to score

   debacle, drubbing, slaughter, thrashing, trouncing, walloping, whipping

   a sound defeat

   waterloo

   a final crushing defeat

   whitewash

   a defeat in which the losing person or team fails to score

   type of:

   happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent

   an event that happens
9. noun

   designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race)
   “excitement grew as the finish neared”

   “my horse was several lengths behind at the finish”

   “the winner is the team with the most points at the finish”

   types:

   draw, standoff, tie

   the finish of a contest in which the score is tied and the winner is undecided

   photo finish

   in general, any very close finish; in particular, a finish of a race in which the contestants are so close together that the winner must be determined from a photograph taken at the instant of finishing

   runner-up finish, second-place finish

   a finish in second place (as in a race)

   third-place finish

   a finish in third place (as in a race)

   dead heat

   a tie in a race

   stalemate

   drawing position in chess: any of a player's possible moves would place his king in check

   type of:

   happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent

   an event that happens
10. noun

    the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey)
    “a crowd assembled at the finish”

    synonyms: destination, goal

    types:

    finish line, finishing line

    a line indicating the location of the finish of a race

    tape

    the finishing line for a foot race

    wire

    the finishing line on a racetrack

    type of:

    end, terminal

    either extremity of something that has length
11. noun

    the downfall of someone (as of persons on one side of a conflict)
    “booze will be the finish of him”

    “it was a fight to the finish”

    type of:

    downfall, ruin, ruination

    failure that results in a loss of position or reputation
12. verb

    provide with a finish
    “The carpenter finished the table beautifully”

    “this shirt is not finished properly”

    types:

    dress

    put a finish on

    broom

    finish with a broom

    type of:

    coat, surface

    put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface
13. noun

    a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance)
    “the boat had a metallic finish”

    “he applied a coat of a clear finish”

    “when the finish is too thin it is difficult to apply evenly”

    synonyms: coating, finishing

    types:

    glaze

    a coating for ceramics, metal, etc.

    shoeshine

    a shiny finish put on shoes with polish and buffing

    luster, lustre

    a surface coating for ceramics or porcelain

    type of:

    decorativeness

    an appearance that serves to decorate and make something more attractive
14. noun

    a highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality
    “"almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art"--Joseph Conrad”

    synonyms: cultivation, culture, polish, refinement

    type of:

    flawlessness, ne plus ultra, perfection

    the state of being without a flaw or defect
15. noun

    (wine tasting) the taste of a wine on the back of the tongue (as it is swallowed)
    type of:

    gustatory perception, gustatory sensation, taste, taste perception, taste sensation

    the sensation that results when taste buds in the tongue and throat convey information about the chemical composition of a soluble stimulus