v., -ished, -ish·ing, -ish·es. v.tr.
- To arrive at or attain the end of: finish a race.
- To bring to an end; terminate: finished cleaning the room.
- To consume all of; use up: finish a pie.
- To bring to a desired or required state: finish a painting. See synonyms at complete.
- To give (wood, for example) a desired or particular surface texture.
- To destroy; kill: finished the injured horse with a bullet.
- To bring about the ruin of: The stock market crash finished many speculators.
- To come to an end; stop.
- To reach the end of a task, course, or relationship.
- The final part; the conclusion: racers neck-and-neck at the finish.
- The reason for one's ruin; downfall.
- Something that completes, concludes, or perfects, especially:
- The last treatment or coating of a surface: applied a shellac finish to the cabinet.
- The surface texture produced by such a treatment or coating.
- A material used in surfacing or finishing.
- Completeness, refinement, or smoothness of execution; polish.
- The flavor left in the mouth after wine has been swallowed.
[Middle English finishen, from Old French finir, finiss-, to complete, from Latin fīnīre, from fīnis, end.]
finisher fin'ish·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
