Finish

How to spell finish

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce finish

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does finish mean?

1. verbTo bring an activity or task to its end, or to complete it.
2. nounThe final part or surface of something, or the end point of a race or event.

Finish in a sentence

• verb

  She wanted to finish the report before lunch.

• noun

  The table had a smooth, glossy finish after sanding.

• verb

  The runners hoped to finish the race in under four hours.

• noun

  The photographers gathered near the finish to capture the winner.

Where does finish come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin finire, meaning 'to limit' or 'to bring to an end', which was built on finis, the noun for a boundary, limit, or end. The Latin verb passed into Old French as fenir or finir, carrying the sense of completing or ending something. English adopted it during the 1300s, and the spelling settled with the -ish ending that French infinitives often produced in English borrowings, much as 'punish' came from punir and 'banish' from banir. The same finis root still anchors familiar relatives such as 'final', 'finite', and 'finale', all of which point to an ending or a limit. Because the word is short and the vowels are clear, the only real spelling question for adults is remembering the single n and the -ish ending rather than doubling letters.

How the word is built

• fin- (from Latin finis: end, boundary)
• -ish (verb-forming suffix via Old French)

Words that sound like finish

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• finnish: Relating to Finland, its people, or its culture.