INDEX:
to finish doing something
1. to finish doing something or making something
2. to have nearly finished something
3. to finish using something
4. to finish a performance, speech, meeting etc
5. something that is finished
6. to finish something that is difficult or unpleasant
to end
7. when an event, activity, situation etc finishes
8. when a period of time ends
9. when the time in which you can use tickets etc finishes
10. when something bad has finished
11. not finished
to use all of something
12. to use all of something
13. when there is nothing left
14. to not use all of something
15. something that is never all used
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ STOP
↑ END
↑ COMPLETE/NOT COMPLETE
↑ READY/NOT READY
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1. to finish doing something or making something
▷ finish /ˈfɪnɪʃ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to finish doing or making something :
▪ Have you finished your homework yet?
▪ He was in London at the time, finishing a degree in economics.
▪ The builders say they should have finished by Friday.
▪ ‘To think you might have been ...’ Carlos didn’t finish his sentence.
finish doing something
▪ Give me a call when you’ve finished unpacking.
▪ Let me finish washing the dishes, then I can help you.
▷ have done something /həv ˈdʌn something/ [verb phrase]
if you have done a piece of work, you have finished doing it :
▪ Ask Jane if she’s done that essay yet.
▪ I’ve done all the painting. Now all that’s left is to put the pictures back up.
▷ complete /kəmˈpliːt/ [transitive verb]
to finish making something, writing something, or doing something that takes a long time to finish :
▪ The building is likely to be completed in two years’ time.
▪ The novel wasn’t published until 40 years after it was completed.
completion [uncountable noun]
▪ On completion of the course you will be given a certificate of competence.
▷ get something finished /ˌget something ˈfɪnɪʃt/ [verb phrase]
to make an effort to finish something before you do something else :
▪ I’d like to get all these letters finished so I can mail them on my way home.
▪ He doesn’t think he’s going to get the baby’s room finished before it’s born.
▷ be through /biː ˈθruː/ [verb phrase] informal
to have finished doing something :
▪ We thought it would only take a few minutes to put up the tent but by the time we were through it was dark.
be through with
▪ The mechanic thought he’d be through with the car at about four.
▷ conclude /kənˈkluːd/ [transitive verb] formal
to finish a piece of work or process etc properly and completely, especially so that you are ready to use the results of it :
▪ By July the research team had concluded the main part of its work.
▪ The police have now concluded their investigations.
2. to have nearly finished something
▷ be nearly finished/done/through especially British also be almost finished/done/through /biː ˌnɪəʳli ˈfɪnɪʃt, ˈdʌn, ˈθruː, biː ˌɔːlməʊst ˈfɪnɪʃt, ˈdʌn, ˈθruː/ [verb phrase]
▪ I’m nearly finished -- I just want to put these files away.
▪ Are you almost done in the shower?
▪ Just give me a couple more minutes. I’m nearly through.
▷ be on the last lap/in the home stretch /biː ɒn ðə ˌlɑːst ˈlæpǁ-ˌlæst-, ɪn ðə ˌhəʊm ˈstretʃ/ [verb phrase]
to have almost finished something, especially something that has taken a long time :
▪ The election campaign is now on its last lap.
▪ The regular season is in the home stretch, and the playoffs will soon begin.
▷ put the finishing touch/touches to British also put the finishing touch/touches on American /ˌpʊt ðə ˌfɪnɪʃɪŋ ˈtʌtʃ, ˈtʌtʃə̇z tuː, ˌpʊt ðə ˌfɪnɪʃɪŋ ˈtʌtʃ, ˈtʌtʃə̇z ɒn/ [verb phrase]
to finish something by adding the last details, especially in order to make it look nice :
▪ Sue’s just putting the finishing touches to her make-up.
▪ Painters are putting the finishing touches on the baseboards and railings.
▪ The team are busy putting the finishing touches to the new design.
the finishing touch/touches [noun phrase]
▪ Your patio is lovely. Those tubs of flowers are the perfect finishing touch.
▷ finish off /ˌfɪnɪʃ ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to finish something by adding the last parts or details :
finish off something
▪ I came to work early this morning to finish off some urgent work for the boss.
finish something off
▪ I usually partially cook steaks in the microwave and then finish them off on the grill.
▷ tie up the loose ends /ˌtaɪ ʌp ðə ˌluːs ˈendz/ [verb phrase]
to finish a meeting, an agreement etc by dealing with all the details that remain :
▪ If we can tie up the loose ends in the next ten minutes, we’ll break for an early lunch.
▪ Apart from a few loose ends that need to be tied up, everything has gone according to schedule.
▷ finalize also finalise British /ˈfaɪn ə l-aɪz/ [transitive verb]
to do the last things that are necessary in order to settle an agreement, plan, or arrangement in a satisfactory way :
▪ Mr Samuels is flying to Detroit to finalize the details and sign the contract.
▪ The meeting has been postponed until travel arrangements can be finalized.
3. to finish using something
▷ finish with /ˈfɪnɪʃ wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb not in passive] especially British :
▪ Can you pass me the scissors when you’ve finished with them, please?
▪ ‘Have you finished with the Monopoly game?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Well put it away then.’
▷ be through/be done /biː ˈθruː, biː ˈdʌn/ [verb phrase]
to have finished using something :
▪ I need to use the computer. Can you let me know when you’re done?
be through/be done with
▪ Aren’t you through with the phone yet?
4. to finish a performance, speech, meeting etc
▷ finish/end /ˈfɪnɪʃ, end/ [transitive verb]
▪ When Sir George finished his speech there was a moment’s silence.
finish/end something by doing something
▪ The priest ended the service by saying a short prayer.
finish/end something with something
▪ She ended her recital with an old French song.
▷ wind up /ˌwaɪnd ˈʌp/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to gradually end an event or activity such as a meeting, making sure that it finishes at the right time :
▪ About 40 minutes after the interview starts, the interviewer will signal to you to start winding up.
wind up something
▪ He was fired and the board would give him no more time to wind up his affairs.
wind something up
▪ Mark wanted to wind the meeting up quickly because he had a plane to catch.
▷ bring something to an end/to a close /ˌbrɪŋ something tʊ ən ˈend, tʊ ə ˈkləʊz/ [verb phrase]
to formally finish a meeting, lesson, process etc :
▪ The committee has brought to a close one of the longest-running Senate investigations ever.
▪ Efforts must continue to bring the conflict to an end.
▷ conclude /kənˈkluːd/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to formally or officially end a meeting, public event, speech etc by doing one final thing :
conclude something with something
▪ This year, Muslims will conclude Ramadan with the usual festivities on April 15 or 16.
conclude with
▪ He concluded with an appeal to everyone to support the campaign.
conclude by doing something
▪ I’d like to conclude by thanking everyone who has worked so hard to make this conference possible.
▷ round off /ˌraʊnd ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to do something as a way of ending an event, performance etc in a suitable or satisfactory way :
round off something
▪ To round off National Peace Week, a concert was organized in the park.
round something off with something
▪ She served us a splendid dinner, rounded off with a marvellous orange mousse.
▪ They rounded off the day with a barbecue at the beach.
▷ finish off/finish up /ˌfɪnɪʃ ˈɒf, ˌfɪnɪʃ ˈʌp/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to complete an event, performance, piece of work etc by doing one final thing that is necessary or suitable :
▪ Please finish off now. The test will end in three minutes.
▪ You can finish up the puzzle tomorrow morning. It’s time for bed now.
finish off/up something by doing something
▪ We finished off our vacation by spending two days in Santa Fe.
finish off/up something with something
▪ Dan finished up his act with a joke about the Vice-President.
5. something that is finished
▷ finished /ˈfɪnɪʃt/ [adjective]
▪ All the packing was finished and we were ready to leave.
▪ A young couple moved into the house three weeks after it was finished.
▪ The finished book was more of a personal diary than an autobiography.
finished version/product/article etc
▪ Looking at the finished product, you wouldn’t know it was made from paper.
▷ be done /biː ˈdʌn/ [verb phrase]
to be successfully finished :
▪ Mom won’t let me watch television till all my homework’s done.
▪ We’ll send you a bill when the repairs are done.
▷ completed /kəmˈpliːtɪd, kəmˈpliːtəd/ [adjective]
finished, especially after a long period of time or a lot of work :
▪ We’ll only get paid if the job is satisfactorily completed.
▪ At last all the arrangements were completed and we waited impatiently for the big day to arrive.
▷ be complete /biː kəmˈpliːt/ [verb phrase]
if something that involves a number of stages is complete, it is finished :
▪ You’ll be paid more when your training is complete.
▪ Building work should be complete within 20 weeks.
▪ When the mixing process is complete, the mixture is ready to be heated.
6. to finish something that is difficult or unpleasant
▷ see through /ˌsiː ˈθruː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
▪ The course was hard, but I wanted to see it through.
▪ Cassidy, aged 83, intends to see the project through to completion.
▷ get it over with/get it over and done with /ˌget ɪt ˈəʊvəʳ wɪð, ˌget ɪt ˌəʊvər ən ˈdʌn wɪð/ [verb phrase]
to do something now, without delaying any more, so that it is finished and you can stop worrying about it :
▪ I’m going to make an appointment at the dentist and get it over with before the holidays.
▪ Let’s get the clean-up over and done with.
▷ to the bitter end /tə ðə ˌbɪtər ˈend/ [adverb]
if you do something to the bitter end, you continue doing it in a determined way until it is finished, even though it is very unpleasant or difficult :
▪ Campaigners vowed to carry on the struggle to the bitter end.
▪ Despite his injury, Johnson carried on playing on to the bitter end.
▷ stick it out/stick with /ˌstɪk ɪt ˈaʊt, ˌstɪk ˈwɪð ɪt/ [verb phrase/transitive phrasal verb]
to finish doing something in spite of great difficulty or pain :
▪ Eleven girls joined the junior high football team, but only four stuck it out until the end of the season.
▪ It’s hard to stick with an exercise program you don’t enjoy.
▷ have/be done with it /hæv, biː ˈdʌn wɪð ɪt/ [verb phrase] especially British
to do or finish something difficult or unpleasant now, so that you can stop thinking about it or worrying about it :
▪ Just go pay the fine and be done with it.
▪ If that’s what you want to do, for heaven’s sake do it and have done with it.
7. when an event, activity, situation etc finishes
▷ end also finish British /end, ˈfɪnɪʃ/ [intransitive verb]
▪ World War II ended in 1945.
▪ What time does your class finish?
▪ How does the story end?
▪ The celebrations didn’t finish till after midnight.
end in something
end in a particular way, especially a bad way
▪ Their marriage finally ended in divorce three years later.
▷ be over /biː ˈəʊvəʳ/ [verb phrase]
if an event or an activity is over, it has ended and nothing more is going to happen :
▪ By the time we arrived, the party was already over.
▪ Right, that’s the formal part of the interview over. Is there anything you’d like to ask us?
be all over
have completely finished
▪ The game should be all over by 5 o'clock.
▷ come to an end /ˌkʌm tʊ ən ˈend/ [verb phrase]
to finally end - use this about a period of time, a situation, or an activity that has continued for a long time :
▪ Months of uncertainty came to an end when the final votes were counted.
▪ It was already September, and our stay in Zurich was coming to an end.
▷ be at an end /biː ət ən ˈend/ [verb phrase] formal
if something such as a meeting or conversation is at an end, it has ended because someone wanted it to end :
▪ The young man stood up, realizing that the audition was at an end.
▪ It is with great sadness that I announce that our marriage is at an end.
8. when a period of time ends
▷ end /end/ [intransitive verb]
▪ The school year ends in June.
▪ Winter was finally ending, and the first flowers of spring had begun to appear.
▪ The evening ended cordially with handshakes all round.
▷ come to an end /ˌkʌm tʊ ən ˈend/ [verb phrase]
if a long period of time comes to an end, it ends :
▪ Autumn came to an end with the first snow.
▪ A generation of civil war had finally come to an end.
▷ be over /biː ˈəʊvəʳ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a period of time is over, it has ended :
▪ The long vacation was almost over, and she hadn’t done any of the things she’d planned.
▪ I think I’m going to lose my temper before this evening is over.
▷ break up /ˌbreɪk ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb] British
if a school or the students in a school break up, a part of the school year ends and the holidays begin :
▪ When does your school break up?
▪ The kids break up on Wednesday.
▷ draw to a close/to an end /ˌdrɔː tʊ ə ˈkləʊz, tʊ ən ˈend/ [verb phrase]
to gradually come to an end - used especially in stories or descriptions :
▪ The long hot summer was drawing to an end.
▪ As the class drew to a close, Hanson asked a student to summarize the lesson.
▷ be up /biː ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if the time allowed for something is up, it is finished :
▪ ‘Time’s up,’ said the teacher. ‘Stop writing, everyone!’
▪ The chairman may be asked to resign before his four-year term is up.
▷ run out /ˌrʌn ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if the time available for doing something, especially something important, runs out, it comes to an end so that there is no more time left :
▪ We’d almost finished solving the problem when our time ran out.
▪ The desperate search for survivors continues, but time is running out.
▷ be out of time /biː ˌaʊt əv ˈtaɪm/ [verb phrase] spoken
use this to tell someone to stop doing something because there is no more time allowed :
▪ I’m sorry, listeners, we have to stop there. We’re out of time.
9. when the time in which you can use tickets etc finishes
▷ run out /ˌrʌn ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a ticket, document, or agreement runs out, it can no longer be used or no longer has any legal or official value :
▪ I want to use this train ticket before it runs out.
▪ The lease on the shop runs out soon.
▪ The current treaty runs out at the end of this year.
▷ expire /ɪkˈspaɪəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
if a ticket, bank card, legal document etc expires, the period of time during which it can legally be used has ended :
▪ I’m afraid we can’t accept this credit card -- it expired last week.
▪ Your passport will expire ten years from the issue date.
▪ She retired six months before her contract expired.
expiration /ˌekspɪˈreɪʃ ə n, ˌekspəˈreɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
▪ After the expiration of the trial period for the software, please contact our website.
10. when something bad has finished
▷ be over/be all over /biː ˈəʊvəʳ, biː ˌɔːl ˈəʊvəʳ/ [verb phrase]
if a problem or bad experience is over, it has ended :
▪ There had been a fight in the bar, but when the police got there it was all over.
▪ His captors finally released him, and his long ordeal was over.
▪ In 1963, the White House wrongly predicted that the military action in Vietnam would be over by 1965.
▷ be over and done with /biː ˌəʊvər ən ˈdʌn wɪð/ [verb phrase]
if something unpleasant or something you have been worrying about is over and done with, it has finished and no longer affects you :
▪ What happened many years ago is over and done with as far as I’m concerned.
▪ They belonged to a part of her life that was over and done with.
▷ be behind /biː bɪˈhaɪnd somebody/ [verb phrase]
if an unpleasant experience is behind you, it is finished so that it does not affect your life or feelings any more :
▪ Because of the measures we have taken, the worst is now behind us.
put something behind you
deal with an unpleasant experience, so that it no longer affects you
▪ Counselling helped her put the experience behind her.
▷ it’s all in the past /ɪts ˌɔːl ɪn ðə ˈpɑːstǁ-ˈpæst/ spoken
use this to say that an unpleasant experience has ended and can be forgotten :
▪ Your troubles are all in the past now.
▷ be closed /biː ˈkləʊzd/ [verb phrase]
use this to say that you are not willing to discuss a subject any more, especially because it is unpleasant or upsetting :
▪ As far as I am concerned, the matter is closed.
▪ Until we can talk about this in a civil manner, I consider the discussion closed.
11. not finished
▷ not finished/unfinished /nɒt ˈfɪnɪʃt, ʌnˈfɪnɪʃt/ [adjective]
▪ On her desk was an unfinished letter to her mother.
▪ To this day, the building remains unfinished.
unfinished business
something you have not had the chance to finish
▪ It is past time for Congress to attend to unfinished business.
▷ incomplete /ˌɪnkəmˈpliːt◂/ [adjective]
not finished, because not all of the work has been done on something, or because it does not have all the parts that it should have :
▪ The excavation of the tunnel is still incomplete.
▪ Incomplete historical records have made the investigation more difficult.
▷ not over yet /nɒt ˌəʊvəʳ ˈjet/ [adverb]
if something is not over yet, especially something difficult or unpleasant, it is not finished and still needs to be done or dealt with :
▪ The struggle for equal rights is not over yet.
▪ The crisis is not over yet. We are still involved in negotiations.
12. to use all of something
▷ finish /ˈfɪnɪʃ/ [transitive verb] especially British
to eat or drink all of something, so that there is none left :
▪ The kids have finished all the ice-cream.
▪ Wait till I’ve finished my drink and then we’ll go.
▪ Come on, finish your dinner.
▷ run out of /ˌrʌn ˈaʊt ɒv/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if you run out of something that you need, there is none left :
▪ We ran out of gas on the freeway last night.
▪ By the time they got back to the camp, they had nearly run out of water.
▷ use up /ˌjuːz ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to use all of something, especially when it is difficult to get more of it :
use up something
▪ By 2100, we may have used up all our supplies of natural gas.
use something up
▪ I thought I’d bought plenty of paint, but we used it up before the room was finished.
▷ exhaust /ɪgˈzɔːst/ [transitive verb] written
to use up all of something, especially a supply of something that will be difficult to replace :
▪ What will happen when we have exhausted all our natural resources?
▪ The organization has exhausted all its funds.
▪ Over-intensive farming had exhausted the supply of nutrients in the soil.
13. when there is nothing left
▷ be (all) gone /biː (ˌɔːl) ˈgɒnǁ-ˈgɔːn/ [verb phrase]
if something is all gone, there is none of it left because it has all been used, eaten, or drunk :
▪ ‘Are there any cookies left?’ ‘No, they’re all gone.’
▪ Then Cal lost his job and soon our savings were gone.
▪ I used to feel sorry for her, but my sympathy’s all gone now.
▷ be finished /biː ˈfɪnɪʃt/ [verb phrase]
if a supply of something important is finished, it has all been used and there is none left :
▪ In this area, emergency food aid is likely to be finished within days.
▪ When that can’s finished, there won’t be any fuel left.
▷ no more/not any more /nəʊ ˈmɔːʳ, ˌnɒt eni ˈmɔːʳ/ [adjective phrase]
if there is no more of something or not any more of something, it has all been used or sold :
▪ ‘Where are the matches?’ ‘We don’t have any more.’
there’s no more/there aren’t any more
▪ There’s no more sugar. You’ll have to get some next time you go out.
no more/not any more of
▪ The store didn’t have any more of the dolls, but they might get some in next week.
▷ none left/not any left /ˌnʌn ˈleft, ˌnɒt eni ˈleft/ [adjective phrase]
if there is none left or not any left of something, all of it has been used or sold :
there is none left/there is not any left
▪ Don’t eat any more cake or there will be none left for your dad.
▪ There weren’t any dresses left in a size 12.
there is no wine/milk/fruit etc left
▪ There’s no coffee left. Shall I make some more?
▷ run out /ˌrʌn ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if something that you need runs out, there is none of it left because it has all been used :
▪ Our supplies had run out and all we could do was wait.
▪ I was in a phone box and my money ran out before I’d finished.
▷ exhausted /ɪgˈzɔːstɪd, ɪgˈzɔːstəd/ [adjective]
if a supply of something is exhausted, there is none of it left; if something that produces a supply is exhausted, there is nothing left in it :
▪ The oxygen supply would soon become exhausted.
▪ All that’s left are some barren hillsides and a couple of exhausted mines.
14. to not use all of something
▷ not finish /nɒt ˈfɪnɪʃ/ [verb phrase]
▪ No you can’t have another notepad - you haven’t finished that one yet.
▪ Try not to finish your food rations too quickly. We don’t know when there will be more.
▷ leave /liːv/ [transitive verb]
to not use or eat all of something, especially because you do not want to, or because you want to keep some :
▪ Is Tom all right? He left nearly all his dinner.
leave something for somebody
▪ Always leave enough fuel for the next person to build a fire with.
leave somebody something
▪ Leave me some space, will you!
15. something that is never all used
▷ inexhaustible /ˌɪnɪgˈzɔːstɪb ə l◂, ˌɪnɪgˈzɔːstəb ə l◂/ [adjective]
an inexhaustible supply etc is never all used or seems impossible to use all of :
▪ The enemy seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of ammunition.
▪ What is the source of Armstrong’s seemingly inexhaustible wealth?
▪ Scientists are working to create a fuel that would be cheap, clean, and inexhaustible.
▷ endless supply /ˌendləs səˈplaɪ/ [noun phrase]
a supply of something that seems as if it will never all be used - use this especially when you know that it could all be used up soon :
▪ A seemingly endless supply of fireworks lit up the clear night sky.
▪ We don’t have an endless supply of oil.
▪ He seems to think I have an endless supply of cash.