finish
♦♦ fin|ish /f'ɪnɪʃ/ (finishes finishing finished)
1 [VERB] V n/-ing, V n/-ing
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.
As soon as he'd finished eating, he excused himself...
Mr Gould was given a standing ovation and loud cheers when he finished his speech...
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron)
Finish up means the same as finish. (AM)
We waited a few minutes outside his office while he finished up his meeting.
2 [VERB] V n
When you finish something that you are making or producing, you reach the end of making or producing it, so that it is complete.
The consultants had been working to finish a report this week.
= complete
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron), V P n (not pron)
Finish off and, in American English, finish up mean the same as finish.
Now she is busy finishing off a biography of Queen Caroline.
...the amount of stuff required to finish up a movie.
3 [VERB] V at/on/by n, V n, also V
When something such as a course, film, or sale finishes, especially at a planned time, it ends.
The teaching day finishes at around 4pm...
When a play finishes its run, many of the costumes are hired out to amateur dramatics companies and schools.
= end
4 [VERB] V by -ing, V with n, V n adj/adv, V n adj/adv, also V n by -ing, V n prep, V prep
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.
The two of them finished by kissing each other goodbye...
The evening finished with the welcoming of three new members...
The American dollar finished the day up against foreign currencies...
The last track finishes this compilation beautifully.
5 [VERB] V ord/prep
If someone finishes second, for example, in a race or competition, they are in second place at the end of the race or competition.
He finished second in the championship four years in a row.
6 [VERB] V
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.
= 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] 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...finish off
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron), V n P
If you finish off something that you have been eating or drinking, you eat or drink the last part of it with the result that there is none left.
Kelly finished off his coffee...
He took the bottle from her hands and finished it off in one long swallow.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If someone finishes off a person or thing that is already badly injured or damaged, they kill or destroy them.
They meant to finish her off, swiftly and without mercy.
3
see finish 2finish up
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P -ing, V P prep
If you finish up in a particular place or situation, you are in that place or situation after doing or experiencing several things.
They had met by chance at university and finished up getting married...
He's probably going to finish up in jail for business fraud.
= end up, wind up
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron), also V n P
If you finish up something that you have been eating or drinking, you eat or drink the last part of it.
Finish up your drinks now, please.
3
see also finish 1, 2finish with
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you finish with someone or something, you stop dealing with them, being involved with them, or being interested in them.
My boyfriend was threatening to finish with me...
1 [VERB] V n/-ing, V n/-ing
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.
As soon as he'd finished eating, he excused himself...
Mr Gould was given a standing ovation and loud cheers when he finished his speech...
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron)
Finish up means the same as finish. (AM)
We waited a few minutes outside his office while he finished up his meeting.
2 [VERB] V n
When you finish something that you are making or producing, you reach the end of making or producing it, so that it is complete.
The consultants had been working to finish a report this week.
= complete
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron), V P n (not pron)
Finish off and, in American English, finish up mean the same as finish.
Now she is busy finishing off a biography of Queen Caroline.
...the amount of stuff required to finish up a movie.
3 [VERB] V at/on/by n, V n, also V
When something such as a course, film, or sale finishes, especially at a planned time, it ends.
The teaching day finishes at around 4pm...
When a play finishes its run, many of the costumes are hired out to amateur dramatics companies and schools.
= end
4 [VERB] V by -ing, V with n, V n adj/adv, V n adj/adv, also V n by -ing, V n prep, V prep
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.
The two of them finished by kissing each other goodbye...
The evening finished with the welcoming of three new members...
The American dollar finished the day up against foreign currencies...
The last track finishes this compilation beautifully.
5 [VERB] V ord/prep
If someone finishes second, for example, in a race or competition, they are in second place at the end of the race or competition.
He finished second in the championship four years in a row.
6 [VERB] V
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.
= 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] 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...finish off
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron), V n P
If you finish off something that you have been eating or drinking, you eat or drink the last part of it with the result that there is none left.
Kelly finished off his coffee...
He took the bottle from her hands and finished it off in one long swallow.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If someone finishes off a person or thing that is already badly injured or damaged, they kill or destroy them.
They meant to finish her off, swiftly and without mercy.
3
see finish 2finish up
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P -ing, V P prep
If you finish up in a particular place or situation, you are in that place or situation after doing or experiencing several things.
They had met by chance at university and finished up getting married...
He's probably going to finish up in jail for business fraud.
= end up, wind up
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron), also V n P
If you finish up something that you have been eating or drinking, you eat or drink the last part of it.
Finish up your drinks now, please.
3
see also finish 1, 2finish with
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you finish with someone or something, you stop dealing with them, being involved with them, or being interested in them.
My boyfriend was threatening to finish with me...