2
general::
noun last part/end of sth ADJ. exciting, good, great, thrilling, tremendous His best finish was 11th in the Hungarian Grand Prix. | perfect It was the perfect finish to a wonderful day. | sprint, storming, strong The runners came round the bend for a sprint finish in the home straight. | close, dramatic, nail-biting, photo, tight It was a photo finish, with three horses neck and neck at the finishing line. VERB + FINISH provide The rules of the game were changed to provide a more exciting finish for the television audience. | be in at Her car suffered from gearbox trouble, but she was still in at the finish. FINISH + NOUN line PREP. at the ~ Several runners needed medical attention at the finish. | to a/the ~ They fought bravely right to the finish. | ~ to a dramatic finish to the match PHRASES from start to finish He was in the lead from start to finish. look/feel of sth ADJ. good, neat, professional | perfect | attractive | decorative | fine, smooth | textured | natural | paint/painted | eggshell, gloss/glossy, matt, satin, shiny | brass, metallic, wood a guitar with a natural wood finish | surface | floor, wall, etc. The wall and floor finishes are all of the the highest standard. VERB + FINISH have This paint has a gloss finish. | achieve, get, obtain With our new tool for putting up wallpaper you can get a perfect finish every time. | create, give (sth), produce, provide This trim really does give the garment a professional finish. | match The steel roof has been coloured to match the finish of the original wrought iron. | apply Make sure the surface is clean and smooth before the finish is applied. PREP. to a ~ Sand the wood to a fine finish using steel wool. | with a ~ a door handle with a brass finish | ~ on How did you achieve that finish on the wood?, verb ADV. almost, nearly | just She had just finished dressing when the telephone rang. | soon | eventually, finally | off He finished off by welcoming new arrivals to the school. VERB + FINISH let sb Let me just finish what I'm doing. PREP. by He finished by telling us about his trip to Spain. | with The evening finished with a few songs. Have you finished with the vacuum cleaner yet? I need it.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
finish sth off
[ M ] USE
2. to eat, drink or use the last part of something
• We may as well finish off this pie - there's only a little bit left., finish sb off
[ M ] informal
to make someone extremely tired, weak or unhappy
• That game of football has really finished me off., finish sb/sth off
[ M ] DEFEAT
2. to defeat a person or team that you are competing against in a sports event
• He could spar well enough but he couldn't seem to finish off his opponents., finish ( sth ) up
[ M ]
to eat or drink all of what you are eating or drinking
• Finish up your dinner and you can have dessert., finish with sb
UK
to stop having a romantic relationship with someone
• She finished with him when she discovered he was having an affair., finish sb/sth off
[ M ] KILL
1. informal to kill someone or something, especially if they have already been injured
• A third heart attack finally finished off the old man., finish sth off
[ M ] COMPLETE
1. to complete the last part of something that you are doing
• I want to finish off this essay before I go to bed., finish with sth
to stop using or needing something
• Have you finished with that magazine?
Cambridge-Phrasal Verbs
5
general::
finish
to complete the last part of something that you are doing:
• Have you finished your homework? • The builders say they should have finished by Friday.
complete
to finish making or doing something that has taken a long time to finish:
• The new bridge will be completed in two years’ time. • She has just completed her PhD.
finalize
to do the last things that are necessary in order to settle a plan or agreement in a satisfactory way:
• A spokesman said that they were hoping to finalize an agreement in the near future.
conclude
formal to officially finish something:
• The police have now concluded their investigations. • Ralph Ellis, Managing Director, concluded the conference with a review of the trading year.
wrap something up
informal to finish something successfully – used especially about agreements or sports competitions:
• Negotiators are meeting on Friday to wrap up the deal. • Liverpool had several chances to wrap up the game.
round something off
British English , round something out American English to do something as a way of ending a day, an evening, an event etc in an enjoyable or suitable way:
• They rounded off the day with a barbecue at the beach. • A concert in the park is being organized to round off the programme of events.
get it over with/get it over and done with
to do something that you have to do now, so that it is finished and you can stop worrying about it:
• Let’s go and do the shopping now and get it over with. • Just tell him how you feel and get it over and done with.
be done/be through
informal if you are done, you have finished – used especially when other people are waiting for you:
• We’re nearly done. • We should be through in half an hour.
be through with something/be done with something
informal to have finished using something – used especially when other people are waiting to use it:
• I’m done with the file. • I’ll let you know when I’m through with it.
tie up the loose ends
to finish dealing with the final details of something, so that is all finished:
• ‘Is the talk ready?’ ‘I just need to tie up a few loose ends.’
Longman-Thesaurus