1
as in choking
to cause to cease burning
the fire in the skillet was quickly extinguished by slamming the lid on
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroying
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
3
as in shushing
to stop the noise or speech of
her final, telling point extinguished her opponents on the city council
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of extinguishing
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
Similar to the first incident, the train was pulled into the rail yard, near the 500 block of Mission Road, where LAFD crews got to work extinguishing the flames.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
The cigar ashes were traced to Hilary Brooke Inman, 38, of Marion, who faces a misdemeanor charge of starting a woodland fire and not extinguishing it, state officials said.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
There was a risk of electrocution, so firefighters needed to confirm with Xcel Energy that power to the area was out before extinguishing the vehicle fire, Smith said.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 30 Mar. 2026
The building's sprinkler system put out the majority of the flames before crews finished extinguishing them.
—Raul Trey Lopez, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Mar. 2026
He is also accused of setting fire on March 2 to an electrical vault at a warehouse, with the fire eventually self-extinguishing, according to the district attorney’s office.
—City News Service, Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
In addition to extinguishing fires, the Unmanned Firefighting Robot can collect and digitize data from disaster scenes.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
Should a fire break out, the walls, seat backs, and tray tables are made with self-extinguishing polymers that won’t give off toxic fumes.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Similar to the first incident, the train was pulled into the rail yard, near the 500 block of Mission Road, where LAFD crews got to work extinguishing the flames.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
The cigar ashes were traced to Hilary Brooke Inman, 38, of Marion, who faces a misdemeanor charge of starting a woodland fire and not extinguishing it, state officials said.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026
There was a risk of electrocution, so firefighters needed to confirm with Xcel Energy that power to the area was out before extinguishing the vehicle fire, Smith said.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 30 Mar. 2026
The building's sprinkler system put out the majority of the flames before crews finished extinguishing them.
—Raul Trey Lopez, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Mar. 2026
He is also accused of setting fire on March 2 to an electrical vault at a warehouse, with the fire eventually self-extinguishing, according to the district attorney’s office.
—City News Service, Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
In addition to extinguishing fires, the Unmanned Firefighting Robot can collect and digitize data from disaster scenes.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Mar. 2026
Should a fire break out, the walls, seat backs, and tray tables are made with self-extinguishing polymers that won’t give off toxic fumes.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinguishing
Verb
-
Jurors then heard sounds of banging and choking — and Athena screaming and crying, the Star-Telegram reports.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
-
How about allegedly choking a live-in chef?—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Some had been there so long that corrosion was destroying them.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
This past offseason, discussion and speculation around Major League Baseball was that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be responsible for destroying the sport and the 2027 season.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Levy sat on the floor, watching like a proud father and shushing whisperers.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Top sleep aid for kids This extremely popular sound machine uses an authentic human voice to calm babies to sleep with a calming, shushing sound.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 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
-
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
-
Trump has overseen dramatic cosmetic changes on the White House grounds during his second term, including paving over the grassy line of the famous Rose Garden and demolishing the White House's East Wing to make way for a massive ballroom.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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Mary Shepard Place — built in the 1940s as Bellevue Square in the Clay Arsenal neighborhood — would be redeveloped in two phases, demolishing a total of 127, low-income apartments and replacing them with 159.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The justices recognized that Colorado had crossed a constitutional line by favoring one set of ideas while silencing another.—
Jeffrey S. Trimbath,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever in 2024, accusing it of silencing its statements in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This includes blanketing the tournament venues with Leo satellite dishes, including the portable Leo Nano, the standard Leo Pro, and the Leo Ultra antenna, which was designed to deliver gigabit internet speeds.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
20 Apr. 2026
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Both spots won high praise thanks to their colorful tiles blanketing the city, as well as epic viewpoints (specifically Miradouro da Senhora do Monte for Lisbon and the Dom Luis I Bridge in Porto), which allow visitors to drink it all in from one fantastic spot.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Determining how the teen died took time, and after months of additional investigation, prosecutors announced charges against D4vd that allege her murder was a premeditated attempt to keep her from ruining his music career by exposing their underage relationship.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
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Additionally, wet windows can accumulate condensation overnight, potentially ruining your hard work.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extinguishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinguishing. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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