extinguish

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extinguish

  • /ɪkˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Latin extinguo (“to put out (what is burning), quench, extinguish, deprive of life, destroy, abolish”), from ex (“out”) + stinguere (“to put out, quench, extinguish”). Doublet of extinct.

verb extinguishes · extinguishing · extinguished

  1. transitive To stop (fire, etc.) from burning; also, to stop (light, etc.) from shining; to put out, to quench.

    Similar: douse, extinct, smother

  2. figuratively, transitive To eclipse or obscure (someone or something). A beauty that extinguishes all others by comparison
  3. figuratively, transitive To kill (someone).

    Similar: extinct

  4. figuratively, transitive To put an end to (something) completely; to annihilate, to destroy. She extinguished all my hopes.

    Similar: extinct, destroy, annihilate, aerosolize, atomize, benothing, bewreck, blot out, blotto, dash, decompose, demolish

  5. figuratively, transitive To bring about the extinction of (a conditioned reflex). Many patients can extinguish their phobias after a few months of treatment.

    Similar: extinct, destroy, annihilate, aerosolize, atomize, benothing, bewreck, blot out, blotto, dash, decompose, demolish

  6. figuratively, transitive To suppress (something, as feelings, a person's spirit, a state of affairs, etc.); to quench.

    Similar: extinct

  7. figuratively, transitive To abolish or make void (a law, a legal right, etc.); also, to cancel (a creditor's claim, a licence, etc.). 1668 December 19, James Dalrymple, “Mr. Alexander Seaton contra Menzies” in The Deciſions of the Lords of Council & Seſſion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 575

    Similar: extinct

  8. intransitive, reflexive To die out.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: snuff out, wipe out, eradicate, obliterate, annihilate, eliminate, carry off, press out, stub out, decimate, crush out, extinct, defuse, quell, suppress, expunge

Translations

Every language

verb to put an end to (something) completely — see also annihilate, destroy

日本語打っ潰す buttsubusu, 絶やす tayasu
Deutschauslöschen
Русскийразрушить razrušitʹ, уничтожить uničtožitʹ

verb to stop (fire, etc.) from burning; to stop (light, etc.) from shining — see also put out, quench

Españolextinguir, apagar
日本語消す kesu, 鎮火する chinka suru
中文熄滅 /熄灭 xīmiè, 撲滅 /扑灭 pūmiè
हिन्दीबुझाना bujhānā
Kiswahilikuzima
Portuguêsextinguir, apagar
Françaiséteindre
Deutschlöschen
Italianoestinguere
Ελληνικάσβήνω svíno
Românăstinge
Русскийтуши́ть tušítʹ, потуши́ть potušítʹ, гаси́ть gasítʹ, погаси́ть pogasítʹ
Tiếng Việtdập tắt
العربيةأَطْفَأَ ʔaṭfaʔa
עבריתכיבה kiba

verb to eclipse or obscure (someone or something) — see also eclipse, obscure

Русскийcкрывать ckryvatʹ, затмить zatmitʹ

verb to bring about the extinction of (a conditioned reflex)

Deutschauslöschen, abschalten

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"extinguish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/extinguish. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

extinguish. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/extinguish

Chicago

"extinguish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/extinguish.

BibTeX
@misc{extinguish_2026,
  title = {extinguish},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/extinguish},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}