finish (finishes plural & 3rd person present) (finishing present participle) (finished past tense & past participle )
1 verb 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... V n/-ing
Mr Gould was given a standing ovation and loud cheers when he finished his speech... V n/-ing
Finish up means the same as finish. (AM) phrasal verb
We waited a few minutes outside his office while he finished up his meeting. V P n (not pron)
2 verb When you finish something that you are making or producing, you reach the end of making or producing it, so that it is complete.
(=complete)
The consultants had been working to finish a report this week. V n
Finish off and, in American English, finish up mean the same as finish., phrasal verb
Now she is busy finishing off a biography of Queen Caroline. V P n (not pron)
...the amount of stuff required to finish up a movie. V P n (not pron)
3 verb When something such as a course, film, or sale finishes, especially at a planned time, it ends.
(=end)
The teaching day finishes at around 4pm... V at/on/by n
When a play finishes its run, many of the costumes are hired out to amateur dramatics companies and schools. V n, Also V
4 verb 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... V by -ing
The evening finished with the welcoming of three new members... V with n
The American dollar finished the day up against foreign currencies... V n adj/adv
The last track finishes this compilation beautifully. V n adj/adv, Also V n by -ing, V n prep, V prep
5 verb 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. V ord/prep
6 verb To finish means to reach the end of saying something.
Her eyes flashed, but he held up a hand. `Let me finish.' V
7 n-sing The finish of something is the end of it or the last part of it.
the N, with poss
(=end)
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.
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 If the surface of something that has been made has a particular kind of finish, it has the appearance or texture mentioned.
usu with supp
The finish and workmanship of the woodwork was excellent.
11 If you add the finishing touches to something, you add or do the last things that are necessary to complete it.
the finishing touch phrase N inflects
Right up until the last minute, workers were still putting the finishing touches on the pavilions... finish off
1 phrasal verb 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... V P n (not pron)
He took the bottle from her hands and finished it off in one long swallow. V n P
2 phrasal verb 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. V n P
1 phrasal verb If you finish up in a particular place or situation, you are in that place or situation after doing or experiencing several things.
(=end up, wind up)
They had met by chance at university and finished up getting married... V P -ing
He's probably going to finish up in jail for business fraud. V P prep
2 phrasal verb 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. V P n (not pron), Also V n P
3 →
finish 1, 2 finish with phrasal verb 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... V P n
photo-finish (photo-finishes plural ), photo finish If the end of a race is a photo-finish, two or more of the competitors cross the finishing line so close together that a photograph of the finish has to be examined to decide who has won. n-count
He was just beaten in a photo-finish.
