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1. The act of extinguishing; causing to stop burning
   "the extinguishing of the lights"
   - extinction, quenching

1. Put an end to; kill
   "The Nazis extinguished the life of many Jewish children"
   - snuff out
    
2. Put out, as of fires, flames, or lights
   "Too big to be extinguished at once, the forest fires at best could be contained"
   - snuff out, blow out, quench
    
3. Extinguish by crushing
   "extinguish your cigar"
   - stub out, crush out, press out
    
4. Terminate, end, or take out
   "Socialism extinguished these archaic customs"
   - eliminate, get rid of, do away with
    
5. Kill in large numbers
   "the plague extinguished an entire population"
   - eliminate, annihilate, eradicate, wipe out, decimate, carry off

See also: extinction, extinguisher

Type of: conclusion, destroy, destruct, end, ending, kill, spifflicate, spiflicate, terminate, termination

Antonym: ignite

Encyclopedia: Extinguish