finish

Pronunciation

• enPR: fĭn'ĭsh
• IPA ^(key): /ˈfɪnɪʃ/
• SAMPA: /"fInIS/

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• Homophone: Finnish

Verb

Plain form finish

Third-person singular finishes

Past tense finished

Past participle finished

Present participle finishing

1. (transitive & intransitive) If something finishes, it stops and doesn't start again; it comes to the end.

   I finish work at 4:30 and I get home at 5:00.

   In June of 1992 I had just finished university and I was looking for a job.

   She finished off her homework and put it away.

   Finish up your lunch quickly, please.

2. (transitive) If something finishes somebody off, it uses all their energy or it kills them.

   That last run around the track completely finished me off.

3. (transitive) If you finish something up, you use the last of it.

   I finished up the milk this morning. There's none left.

4. If you are finished with something, you don't need it anymore.
5. (transitive) If you finish the surface of something, especially wood, you make it smooth and ready to use.

Related words

• finishing
• finished
• unfinished
• finisher

Noun

Singular finish

Plural finishes

1. (countable) The finish is the last part or end of something.

   As the runners come to the finish, they are side by side.

   It was a good day from start to finish.

2. (countable & uncountable) The finish is the way a surface looks after it has been made smooth and ready to use.

   The oil gives the wood a smooth, deep finish.