finishing

/ˈfɪn.ɪ.ʃɪŋ/

noun

  1. The act of completing or bringing something to an end.

    B1

    usually uncountable

    • "Finishing early means we can go home."A2
    • "The finishing of the new bridge was delayed by heavy rain."B1

  2. The final treatment given to a surface, fabric, or product to improve its appearance or durability.

    B2

    countable or uncountabletechnical

    • "The wood needs a final finishing before it can be sold."B2
    • "The fabric's finishing makes it soft and water-resistant."B2
    • "Poor finishing along the edges caused the paint to peel within a year."C1

adjective

  1. Final or completing; forming the last part of something (used before a noun).

    B1

    attributive only

    • "She crossed the finishing line first."A2
    • "He's putting the finishing touches to his speech."B1
    • "A last sanding gives the wood its finishing polish."C1

verb

  1. The -ing form of finish, used in continuous tenses or as a participle.

    A2

    present participle of finish; transitive or intransitive

    • "I am finishing my homework."A1
    • "She was finishing her speech when the lights went out."B1
    • "Finishing the race in record time, she collapsed at the side of the track."C1

Common mistakes

  • I finished to write the report.→I finished writing the report.

    After finish (and finishing), use the -ing form, not the infinitive.

  • before finishing to eat→before finishing eating

    Finish is followed by a gerund, never a to-infinitive.

Collocations

finishing touchesfinishing linefinishing schoolfinishing movesurface finishing

Word family

finishfinishedfinisherunfinishedrefinish