Verb: extinguish ik'sting-gwish
- Put out, as of fires, flames, or lights
"Too big to be extinguished at once, the forest fires at best could be contained";
- snuff out, quench
- Terminate, end, or take out
"Socialism extinguished these archaic customs";
- eliminate, get rid of, do away with
- Kill in large numbers
"the plague extinguished an entire population";
- wipe out, decimate
- Extinguish a cigarette or similar by placing or crushing the burning end against something
"He extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray";
- stub, stub out, press out
- Put an end to; kill
"The Nazis extinguished the life of many Jewish children";
- snuff out [informal]
Derived forms: extinguished, extinguishing, extinguishes
Type of: break, break off, cease, destroy, destruct, discontinue, give up, kill, lay off, quit, spifflicate [Brit, informal], spiflicate [Brit, informal], stop, surcease [archaic], uncreate [literary]
Encyclopedia: Extinguish