1
as in to choke
to cause to cease burning
the fire in the skillet was quickly extinguished by slamming the lid on
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
a fatal blunder that extinguished all hope that the team would actually win the play-offs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of extinguish
Firefighters mostly extinguished the fire within 30 minutes of their arrival.
—
Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2026
Such reins on an industry that has billed itself as capable of extinguishing humankind are, theoretically, in everyone’s interest.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Their struggle has upturned the tabletop candle that illuminates the scene and any moment will surely extinguish it, effacing the giddy pattern formed by the writhing bodies and glowing, veiny bladder skin.
—Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
The fire took more than two weeks to extinguish fully.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for extinguish
Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2026
Such reins on an industry that has billed itself as capable of extinguishing humankind are, theoretically, in everyone’s interest.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Their struggle has upturned the tabletop candle that illuminates the scene and any moment will surely extinguish it, effacing the giddy pattern formed by the writhing bodies and glowing, veiny bladder skin.
—Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
The fire took more than two weeks to extinguish fully.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for extinguish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinguish
Verb
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The victims, who died from smoke inhalation, might have made it out of the Belmont building alive if their neighbors had closed their doors and choked the oxygen that fed the massive five-alarm fire on Tuesday afternoon.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
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In November 2025, Biggs was preparing for practice in the locker room when Hebert allegedly approached another teammate and choked him in response to a post on Instagram, according to the lawsuit.—
Laura Fay,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Thankfully, the Dark Sky movement is growing as more people become aware of the issue and learn about simple and cost-effective ways that can be embraced to reverse the course of destroying our night skies.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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Radioactive clouds spread, causing panic as far away as Germany and Britain; millions of litres of milk were dumped; livestock was destroyed or banned from sale.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
To the point where Reid shushed him down at times.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Lyonne shushed the staffer, got up and headed to the bathroom, according to Page Six.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Bradenton Police Department shared adorable video that showed a parched manatee taking a break and quenching its thirst with some fresh water that was coming off a police boat.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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On a Monday last spring, Guelleh stood watching a procession of goats, donkeys and camels quenching their thirst at the water tank that once supplied his field.—
Julie Bourdin,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After six years of plans to redevelop the shuttered MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, the owners would like to demolish the building and build a data center on the property, according to city officials.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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In January, Publix closed its 40-year-old Palms store and by mid-April it was demolished to make way for a bigger, contemporary supermarket.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Kapanen silenced the raucous sellout crowd at Honda Center 38 seconds after the opening faceoff with his fourth goal in four games.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
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The country was once very free online, remarkable given President Vladimir Putin’s autocratic rule, but more recently access to global messaging apps has been restricted and the internet has been completely shut down at times as Moscow has sought to silence criticism.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nearly a week after bouts of severe storms blanketed the Kansas City metro, came along Thursday as a cold front moved through the region.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
24 Apr. 2026
-
It could be named for the thick fog that blankets the island, which captured the imaginations of sailors and whalers first arriving to its port starting in the 17th century.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
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Apparently, staff learned to wash their hands, but the roaches returned to ruin another inspector’s visit.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extinguish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinguish. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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