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finish off

B1 informal separable transitive
In simple words

To eat, use, or complete the last bit of something, or to completely defeat someone.

Meanings

1 A2 informal

To eat or drink the last remaining amount of something.

"We finished off the birthday cake after dinner."

Grammar: separable
2 B1 neutral

To complete the remaining part of a task or piece of work.

"Let me just finish off this paragraph and then we can go."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal

To kill, destroy, or utterly defeat someone or something, often as a final act.

"The injury effectively finished off his career as a professional athlete."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

The 'consume' sense is very common in food/drink contexts ('finish off the leftovers'). The 'defeat/kill' sense is informal and can sound dramatic. The 'complete' sense is used for tasks or projects. Often adds emphasis that the action is truly final.

Commonly used with

meal leftovers project enemy report bottle

Forms

Base
finish off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
finishes off
he/she/it
Past simple
finished off
yesterday
Past participle
finished off
have + pp
-ing form
finishing off
continuous

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