FINISH Synonyms: 176 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'finish' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of finish are close , complete , conclude , end , and terminate . While all these words mean "to bring or come to a stopping point or limit," finish may stress completion of a final step in a process. // after it is painted, the house will be finished

Q: When would 'close' be a good substitute for 'finish'?

The words close and finish can be used in similar contexts, but close usually implies that something has been in some way open as well as unfinished. // close a debate

Q: When can 'complete' be used instead of 'finish'?

The synonyms complete and finish are sometimes interchangeable, but complete implies the removal of all deficiencies or a successful finishing of what has been undertaken. // the resolving of this last issue completes the agreement

Q: Where would 'conclude' be a reasonable alternative to 'finish'?

The meanings of conclude and finish largely overlap; however, conclude may imply a formal closing (as of a meeting). // the service concluded with a blessing

Q: When could 'end' be used to replace 'finish'?

Although the words end and finish have much in common, end conveys a strong sense of finality. // ended his life

Q: In what contexts can 'terminate' take the place of 'finish'?

The words terminate and finish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, terminate implies the setting of a limit in time or space. // your employment terminates after three months

finish 1 of 2

verb

ˈfi-nish

Definition of finish

as in to complete

to bring (something) to a state where nothing remains to be done we should finish the painting of the house by tomorrow

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to end

to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point we'll finish the concert before dark

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to stop

to come to an end the three-day race finished yesterday

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

finish

2 of 2

noun

as in ending

the last part of a process or action a pie-eating contest is the fair's traditional finish

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in end

the stopping of a process or activity an all-out fight right to the finish

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb finish differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of finish are close, complete, conclude, end, and terminate. While all these words mean "to bring or come to a stopping point or limit," finish may stress completion of a final step in a process.

after it is painted, the house will be finished

When would close be a good substitute for finish?

The words close and finish can be used in similar contexts, but close usually implies that something has been in some way open as well as unfinished.

close a debate

When can complete be used instead of finish?

The synonyms complete and finish are sometimes interchangeable, but complete implies the removal of all deficiencies or a successful finishing of what has been undertaken.

the resolving of this last issue completes the agreement

Where would conclude be a reasonable alternative to finish?

The meanings of conclude and finish largely overlap; however, conclude may imply a formal closing (as of a meeting).

the service concluded with a blessing

When could end be used to replace finish?

Although the words end and finish have much in common, end conveys a strong sense of finality.

ended his life

In what contexts can terminate take the place of finish?

The words terminate and finish are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, terminate implies the setting of a limit in time or space.

your employment terminates after three months

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of finish

Verb

Gabriel and Haaland are key men for their countries, too; whoever shades their personal duel will have a great chance of finishing on the winning team. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026 Caminero finished second in the first phase of voting to Jays rookie Kazuma Okamoto who, like many Toronto players, enjoyed widespread support from throughout Canada, but Caminero won the phase-two runoff election. — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2026

Noun

Store toiletries and other bathroom items with the stylish, triple-tier Domax Bamboo Bathroom Shelf in one of five finishes. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 6 July 2026 The same device also applies a protective nano-ceramic coating during this process, and Linyo says this should work fine on most exterior finishes and wraps. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for finish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for finish

Verb

Before Greene's first homer, Kerry Carpenter hit a solo shot in which center fielder Spencer Jones could not complete a leaping catch at the right-center field fence and saw the ball pop out of his glove into the Yankees' bullpen.

— CBS New York Team, CBS News, 1 July 2026
During his tenure, ownership of the team shifted from the O’Malley family to Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Entertainment Group, which completed the purchase of the Dodgers in March 1998.

— Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of complete

Verb

When there was a pause in the action, referee Raphael Claus stopped the match to look at VAR to determine whether Balogun committed a foul worthy of a red card.

— Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Making new friends isn’t something that has to stop at a certain point in your life.

— Joy Harden Bradford, AJC.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of stop

Noun

Skratch also interviewed other sources for its story who hinted at potential infidelity by Mickelson amid abrupt endings of memberships at other golf clubs.

— Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Wait, wasn’t the original happy ending supposed to have our protagonist pairing up with his son?

— Candace Buckner, New York Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of ending

Noun

Gulf primary bond issuance came to an abrupt halt in the wake of the conflict, with corporate and sovereign bond yields jumping as geopolitical tensions escalated.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Wrangling my emotions became the difference between sputtering to a halt and moving forward.

— Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of halt

Verb

Unlike the federal tax credits that expired in September, these incentives offer an instant discount and don’t require buyers to apply for credit later.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
After that agreement expires, the government and Estrada may extend that on an annual basis.

— Sofi Zeman July 3, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026

Definition of expire

Noun

Instead of presenting a conclusion alone, the system can show the factors that contributed to a recommendation, including the data used, operational constraints considered, and alternative options that were evaluated.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026
The company says the claims contain flawed conclusions and rejects the characterization of the technology as a botnet.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026

Definition of conclusion

Browse Nearby Words

finises

finish

finished

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Style

“Finish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finish. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of finish

verb

noun

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Synonyms of finish

verb

noun

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A Collection of Words for Working from...

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on finish

More from Merriam-Webster

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Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

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Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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Games & Quizzes