CONCLUDE Synonyms: 158 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'conclude' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of conclude are close , complete , end , finish , and terminate . While all these words mean "to bring or come to a stopping point or limit," conclude may imply a formal closing (as of a meeting). // the service concluded with a blessing

Q: Where would 'close' be a reasonable alternative to 'conclude'?

While the synonyms close and conclude are close in meaning, close usually implies that something has been in some way open as well as unfinished. // close a debate

Q: When is it sensible to use 'complete' instead of 'conclude'?

The meanings of complete and conclude largely overlap; however, complete implies the removal of all deficiencies or a successful finishing of what has been undertaken. // the resolving of this last issue completes the agreement

Q: When might 'end' be a better fit than 'conclude'?

The synonyms end and conclude are sometimes interchangeable, but end conveys a strong sense of finality. // ended his life

Q: In what contexts can 'finish' take the place of 'conclude'?

The words finish and conclude can be used in similar contexts, but finish may stress completion of a final step in a process. // after it is painted, the house will be finished

Q: When could 'terminate' be used to replace 'conclude'?

In some situations, the words terminate and conclude are roughly equivalent. However, terminate implies the setting of a limit in time or space. // your employment terminates after three months

conclude

verb

kən-ˈklüd

Definition of conclude

as in to end

to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point a brief reminder of tonight's game concluded the announcements

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to stop

to come to an end the concert concluded late in the evening

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to arrange

to bring about through discussion and compromise concluded an economic agreement among the world's leading industrial nations

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to decide

to come to a judgment about after discussion or consideration he concluded that the reprimand could wait until later

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to understand

to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information concluded that only the murderer could possibly have known that information

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb conclude differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of conclude are close, complete, end, finish, and terminate. While all these words mean "to bring or come to a stopping point or limit," conclude may imply a formal closing (as of a meeting).

the service concluded with a blessing

Where would close be a reasonable alternative to conclude?

While the synonyms close and conclude are close in meaning, close usually implies that something has been in some way open as well as unfinished.

close a debate

When is it sensible to use complete instead of conclude?

The meanings of complete and conclude largely overlap; however, complete implies the removal of all deficiencies or a successful finishing of what has been undertaken.

the resolving of this last issue completes the agreement

When might end be a better fit than conclude?

The synonyms end and conclude are sometimes interchangeable, but end conveys a strong sense of finality.

ended his life

In what contexts can finish take the place of conclude?

The words finish and conclude can be used in similar contexts, but finish may stress completion of a final step in a process.

after it is painted, the house will be finished

When could terminate be used to replace conclude?

In some situations, the words terminate and conclude are roughly equivalent. However, terminate implies the setting of a limit in time or space.

your employment terminates after three months

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of conclude The commission a year ago concluded Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza with a specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza. — Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026 But the smartest among them—or just the most ambitious—might reasonably conclude that the way to be funny for a living is to get very good at talking to their friends and interviewing people. — Dan Brooks, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026 Historians might someday conclude that an example of this began in 2026, when a French presidential candidate made a hitherto fringe idea central to his campaign. — George F. Will, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026 The commission concluded a year ago that Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza with a specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza. — Stefanie Dazio, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for conclude

Recent Examples of Synonyms for conclude

Verb

Dodgers lefty Tanner Scott came to the rescue and struck out Bauers and Yelich to end the inning (and Garrett Mitchell to kick off the seventh).

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
The race starts and ends at The Momentary in Bentonville and two of the three course lengths roll through McDonald County in Missouri.

— Glory Reitz, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of end

Verb

The city’s public works team and its Parks, Recreation and Marine bureau were working to secure it, putting up sandbags and rebuilding the berm to stop water intrusion.

— Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Kodiak says its autonomous system is designed to identify emergency vehicles, stopped vehicles, lane closures and accident scenes.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of stop

Verb

The hotel can arrange special things like a in-room Peloton bike or facilitate extra amenities to host a meeting in your suite.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
Annals are historical records arranged by year; the clue leverages the entry’s singular form to misdirect us.

— Sean McGowan, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of arrange

Verb

After seeing information about the National Day of Action online, Isabel Montano, a junior studying philosophy and economics, decided to take action at SIUE.

— Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
Brands need to decide which trends resonate, which ones make sense to capitalize on and make a new product launch or an entire franchise and which to let go and pass over.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of decide

Verb

If a degree needs to equip students for life outside of college, then a big part of that is understanding what employers are looking for.

— Reynald Fasciaux, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
In addition to developing better medicines or perfumes, deciphering the mirror images of molecules can help scientists understand the chemical architecture of life, said chemist Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the journal Science.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of understand

Verb

The image is then precision-fabricated into a 3D model that’s finished by hand — all for $2,200, about the national average of an actual wedding gown.

— Ari Stark, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Chocolate moelleux and tropical sorbet, both elevated with a flavoured crumble (cardamom and lime, respectively) finished off the meal with a satisfying hit of sweetness.

— Julia Wytrazek, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of finish

Verb

And third, the FCC can negotiate a consent decree with the broadcaster to redress any violations and resolve an enforcement matter.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
No consensus on what counts as a weapon International efforts to negotiate a new framework banning all weapons in space have stalled because there is no agreement on what counts as a space weapon, among other things, according to Samson.

— Stephanie Liechtenstein, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of negotiate

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conclaves

conclude

concluded

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Style

“Conclude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conclude. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of conclude

verb

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