finish

1 /'fInIS/ verb

1 STOP DOING STH (I, T) to come to the end of doing or making something, so that it is complete : finish sth: You can't go anywhere until you finish your homework. | finish doing sth: I finished typing the report just minutes before it was due. | “Are they still working on the road by you?” “No, they've finally finished.”

2 STOP (I) especially BrE when an event, activity, or period of time finishes, it ends, especially at a particular time: The football season finishes in May. | What time does school finish?

3 EAT also finish up/off (T) to eat or drink all the rest of something, so there is none left: Finish up your peas or you won't get any dessert. | Sylvia finished her cigarette.

4 END WITH/BY also finish off (I, T) to complete an event, performance, piece of work etc by doing one final thing

(+ with): The party finished with a sing-song. | finish by doing sth: She finished off her speech by thanking her sponsors.

5 RACE (I, T) to be in a particular position at the end of a race, competition etc: I finished the 100 meters in sixth place.

6 SURFACE (T) to give the surface of something, especially wood, a smooth appearance by painting, polishing, or covering it: The furniture had been attractively finished in a walnut veneer.

7 ALL SB'S STRENGTH ETC finish sb to take away all of someone's strength, energy etc: That last five-mile ride up the hill really finished me.

8 USE ALL OF STH BrE to use up the entire supply of something, especially food: The ice cream's finished, can you get some more?

9 put/add the finishing touches to add the final detail or details that make your work complete

finish off phrasal verb

1 (transitive finish something off) to use or eat all of something, so there is none left: Who finished off the cake?

2 (transitive finish someone/something off) to kill a person or animal when they are already weak or wounded

3 (transitive finish someone off) to take away all of someone's strength, energy etc: It had already been an exhausting week, and that last argument just finished me off.

4 (intransitive, transitive finish something off) to end a performance, event etc by doing one final thing: We finished off the evening by going out for a drink.

finish up phrasal verb

1 (linking verb) especially BrE to finally be in a particular place, condition etc at the end of a situation or series of events; end up (end2): We finished up in Rome after a three week tour. | I finished up completely broke, tired, and hungry.

2 (transitive finish something up) to eat or drink all the rest of something

3 to end an event, situation etc by doing one final thing

finish with sth/sb phrasal verb (T)

1 especially BrE to no longer need to use something : be finished with: Are you finished with the scissors?

2 BrE to end a relationship with someone: Michael's finally finished with Teresa after all these years.

2 noun

1 (C) the end or last part of something: I was watching the race but I didn't get to see the finish. | from start to finish (=from the beginning of something until the end): The meeting was a disaster from start to finish. | a close finish (=an end of a race where two competitors are very close to each other)

2 fight to the finish to fight until one side is completely defeated

3 (C, U) the appearance of the surface of an object after it has been painted, polished etc: That table has a beautiful finish.