finish

[[t]fɪ̱nɪʃ[/t]]

♦♦

finishes, finishing, finished

1) VERB When you finish doing or dealing with something, you do or deal with the last part of it, so that there is no more for you to do or deal with.

[V n/-ing] As soon as he'd finished eating, he excused himself...

[V n/-ing] Mr Gould was given a standing ovation and loud cheers when he finished his speech...

[V n/-ing] I've practically finished the ironing.

PHRASAL VERB

Finish up means the same as finish. [AM]

V P n (not pron) We waited a few minutes outside his office while he finished up his meeting.

2) VERB When you finish something that you are making or producing, you reach the end of making or producing it, so that it is complete.

[V n] The consultants had been working to finish a report this week.

Syn:

complete

PHRASAL VERB

Finish off and, in American English, finish up mean the same as finish.

V P n (not pron) Now she is busy finishing off a biography of Queen Caroline. V P n (not pron) ...the amount of stuff required to finish up a movie.

3) VERB When something such as a course, film, or sale finishes, especially at a planned time, it ends.

[V at/on/by n] The teaching day finishes at around 4pm...

[V n] When a play finishes its run, many of the costumes are hired out to amateur dramatics companies and schools. [Also V]

Syn:

end

4) V-ERG You say that someone or something finishes a period of time or an event in a particular way to indicate what the final situation was like. You can also say that a period of time or an event finishes in a particular way.

[V by -ing] The two of them finished by kissing each other goodbye...

[V with n] The evening finished with the welcoming of three new members...

[V n with n] A buggy ferries you down to the main restaurant to finish the evening with a dance on the beach...

[V n adj/adv] The American dollar finished the day up against foreign currencies...

[V n adj/adv] The last track finishes this compilation beautifully. [Also V n by -ing, V n prep, V prep]

5) VERB If someone finishes second, for example, in a race or competition, they are in second place at the end of the race or competition.

[V ord/prep] He finished second in the championship four years in a row.

6) VERB To finish means to reach the end of saying something.

Her eyes flashed, but he held up a hand. `Let me finish.'

7) N-SING: the N, with poss The finish of something is the end of it or the last part of it.

I intend to continue it and see the job through to the finish...

From start to finish he believed in me, often more than I did myself.

Syn:

end

8) N-COUNT The finish of a race is the end of it.

Win a trip to see the finish of the Tour de France!...

The replays of the close finish showed Ottey finished ahead of the Olympic champion.

9) N-COUNT: usu with supp If the surface of something that has been made has a particular kind of finish, it has the appearance or texture mentioned.

The finish and workmanship of the woodwork was excellent.

10) → See also finished

11) PHRASE A fight to the finish is one in which one of the people or groups fighting is killed or completely defeated.

The conflict in the North and East of the island was a fight to the finish.

12) PHRASE: N inflects If you add the finishing touches to something, you add or do the last things that are necessary to complete it.

Right up until the last minute, workers were still putting the finishing touches on the pavilions...

The only finishing touch most of these puddings need is a custard sauce.

Phrasal Verbs:

- finish off

- finish up

- finish with