tr.v., -guished, -guish·ing, -guish·es.
- To put out (a fire, for example); quench.
- To put an end to (hopes, for example); destroy. See synonyms at abolish.
- To obscure; eclipse.
- Law.
- To settle or discharge (a debt).
- To nullify: extinguished their title to the property.
- Psychology. To bring about the extinction of (a conditioned response).
[Latin exstinguere : ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + stinguere, to quench.]
extinguishable ex·tin'guish·a·ble adj.extinguishment ex·tin'guish·ment 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.
