extinguish[verb]Synonyms:- put out, blow out, douse, quench, smother, snuff out, stifle
- destroy, annihilate, eliminate, end, eradicate, exterminate, remove, wipe out
Antonyms: ignite, inflame
Contrasted words: fire, kindle, start, torch, encourage, fire (up)
Related Idioms: put the lid (
or the kibosh) on
Related Words: blow out,
snuff out,
smother,
erase,
expunge,
obliterate,
check,
stifle,
snuff (out),
choke (out),
trample (down)
English Thesaurus: burn, be on fire, be alight, be ablaze, blaze, ... [TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲
extinguishverb
BAD: Many species are becoming extinguished.
GOOD: Many species are becoming extinct.
Usage Note:extinguish = make something stop burning: 'Before entering the factory, please make sure that all cigarettes have been properly extinguished.'
extinct = (of a type of animal or plant) completely non-existent, because every single one has died or been killed: 'If nothing is done to save the whales now, the species will soon become extinct.'
[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲
burn to produce heat and flames:
The fire was still burning. A pile of branches was burning in the yard.be on fire if a building, car, piece of clothing etc is on fire, it is burning and being damaged:
Before long, the neighbouring houses were on fire too.be alight especially written if something is alight, it is burning:
By the time the fire engines got there, the whole building was already alight. The candle was still alight.be ablaze especially written if something is ablaze, it is burning with a lot of flames, so that it is seriously damaged:
Twelve hours after the bombing raid, many parts of the city were still ablaze. The two hundred tonnes of straw were now ablaze and firefighters struggled to get the fire under control.blaze to burn very brightly with a lot of flames and heat:
A big log fire was blazing in the fireplace.smoulder British English,
smolder American English /ˈsməʊldə $ ˈsmoʊldər/ to burn slowly and continuously, producing smoke but no flames:
A cigarette smouldered in the ashtray. The fire in the chemical factory was so intense that it was still smouldering a week later.flicker if a fire or flame flickers, it burns with an unsteady light that appears and disappears quickly:
A welcoming fire flickered in the grate. Inside the shrine candles flicker next to statues of saints.catch fire to start burning accidentally:
We were worried the house would catch fire. Two farm workers died when a barn caught fire yesterday.burst into flames to suddenly start burning and produce a lot of flames that cause serious damage:
The plane crashed into the side of the mountain and burst into flames.ignite /ɪɡˈnaɪt/
technical if a chemical or gas ignites, it starts burning:
The compound ignites at 450 degrees Celsius. Scientists could not explain why the gas had suddenly ignited.set fire to something (
also set something on fire) to make something start burning so that it gets damaged:
Vandals set fire to an empty warehouse. Teresa wondered if the burning log might set fire to the curtains. The Vikings attacked villages along the coast and set them on fire. Sparks from the fireplace could easily set the curtains on fire.scorch to damage the surface of something by burning it so that a dark mark is left on it:
Having the iron on a very high heat can scorch the fabric. The heater was left on all night and it scorched the wall.singe /sɪndʒ/ to damage hair, wool, paper etc by burning it slightly so that the ends or edges are burnt:
The flames were hot enough to singe your eyebrows.scald to burn your skin with very hot liquid or steam:
The coffee was so hot it nearly scalded his tongue. It’s easy to knock a pan off the stove and scald yourself. He was scalded by steam escaping from the broken pipe.put out to make something such as a fire, cigarette, or candle stop burning:
It took firefighters four hours to put out the blaze. She threw sand on the fire to put it out. I put out my cigarette and went back into the house.extinguish /ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/
formal to make something such as a fire, cigarette, or candle stop burning:
He managed to extinguish the flames with his coat. Customers who smoke will be asked to extinguish their cigarettes or leave the premises.blow out to make a flame or fire stop burning by blowing on it:
He blew out the candle and went to sleep. The wind blew out the fire. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲