- the act of finishing
"his best finish in a major tournament was third"
"the speaker''s finishing was greeted with applause"

- a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance)
"the boat had a metallic finish"
"he applied a coat of a clear finish"
"when the finish is too thin it is difficult to apply evenly"

- (wine tasting) the taste of a wine on the back of the tongue (as it is swallowed)
"the wine has a nutty flavor and a pleasant finish"

- event whose occurrence ends something
"his death marked the ending of an era"
"when these final episodes are broadcast it will be the finish of the show"

- the downfall of someone (as of persons on one side of a conflict)
"booze will be the finish of him"
"it was a fight to the finish"

- designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race)
"excitement grew as the finish neared"
"my horse was several lengths behind at the finish"
"the winner is the team with the most points at the finish"

- the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey)
"a crowd assembled at the finish"
"he was nearly exhuasted as their destination came into view"

- a highly developed state of perfection

- having a flawless or impeccable quality
"they performed with great polish"
"I admired the exquisite refinement of his prose"
"almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art"--Joseph

- the temporal end

- the concluding time
"the stopping point of each round was signaled by a bell"
"the market was up at the finish"
"they were playing better at the close of the season"

- cause to finish a relationship with somebody
"That finished me with Mary"

- finally be or do something
"He ended up marrying his high school sweetheart"
"he wound up being unemployed and living at home again"

- come or bring to a finish or an end
"He finished the dishes"
"She completed the requirements for her Master''s Degree"
"The fastest runner finished the race in just over 2 hours

- others finished in over 4 hours"

- finish eating all the food on one''s plate or on the table
"She polished off the remaining potatoes"

- provide with a finish
"The carpenter finished the table beautifully"

- have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense

- either spatial or metaphorical
"the bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed"
"Your rights stop where you infringe upon the rights of other"
"My property ends by the bushes"
"The symphony end

1. To arrive at the end of; to bring to an end; to put an end to; to make an end of; to terminate.

"And heroically hath finished A life heroic." -- Milton.

2. To bestow the last required labor upon; to complete; to bestow the utmost possible labor upon; to perfect; to accomplish; to polish.

Syn. -- To end; terminate; close; conclude; complete; accomplish; perfect.

1. To come to an end; to terminate.

"His days may finish ere that hapless time." -- Shak.

2. To end; to die. [R.] Shak.

1. That which finishes, puts an end to&?; or perfects.

2. (Arch.) The joiner work and other finer work required for the completion of a building, especially of the interior. See Inside finish, and Outside finish.

3. (Fine Arts) (a) The labor required to give final completion to any work; hence, minute detail, careful elaboration, or the like. (b) See Finishing coat, under Finishing.

4. The result of completed labor, as on the surface of an object; manner or style of finishing; as, a rough, dead, or glossy finish given to cloth, stone, metal, etc.

5. Completion; -- opposed to start, or beginning.