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Extinguish for Dummies

verb

pronunciation: ɪk'stɪŋgwɪʃ

What does Extinguish really mean?

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Extinguish is a word that we use to describe when we put out a fire or make it stop burning. You know how when you blow out candles on a birthday cake, the flame goes away? Well, that's a way to extinguish the fire on the candles. Imagine if you have a candle in front of you right now. Can you imagine what it looks like when it's burning? The flame dances and flickers, right? But when you blow on it or use a fire extinguisher, the flame magically disappears. That's what it means to extinguish something - to make the fire go away so that there's no more flame and the object stops burning.

But wait, there's more! Extinguish can also be used in a non-literal way, kind of like a metaphor. Imagine you have a tiny spark of an idea in your mind, just like how a spark can create a fire. A spark of an idea can be like a little light bulb above your head. Now, when you forget about that idea or stop thinking about it, what do you think happens to that spark? It goes away, right? That's like extinguishing an idea - you make it disappear by not giving it any attention or by forgetting about it. So, extinguish can also mean to make something, like an idea, go away or disappear by not thinking about it or paying attention to it anymore.


Revised and Fact checked by Robert Taylor on 2023-11-01 00:07:53

Extinguish In a sentece

Learn how to use Extinguish inside a sentece

  • When you blow out a candle, you extinguish the flame.
  • If there is a fire, the firefighters will use water to extinguish it.
  • If you accidentally set off the smoke alarm while cooking, you can quickly extinguish the sound by pressing the reset button.
  • When you turn off the light switch, you effectively extinguish the light bulb.
  • To stop a campfire from spreading, you need to fully extinguish it by pouring water over the embers.