Complete vs. Finish: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 26, 2023
Complete implies something is whole or perfect in itself, lacking nothing essential, while Finish means to bring something to an end or conclusion.
Key Differences
Complete refers to the state of something being whole, fully developed, or having all necessary parts. It's often used when all elements of something are present. Finish, on the other hand, is about bringing an activity or process to an end. It's about concluding or stopping an action, rather than the state of being whole.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
When something is complete, it may not necessarily be at its endpoint. For instance, a book can be complete with all chapters written, but not finished if it's not published. Finish implies the cessation of an activity; like finishing a race means no more running is involved.
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Dec 26, 2023
In terms of projects or tasks, complete can mean that all requirements are met. However, finish can imply that no more work is to be done on it, regardless of whether it's perfect or not. Completing a project means it meets all criteria, while finishing it means stopping work on it.
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Dec 26, 2023
The concept of perfection or fulfillment is often associated with complete. A collection can be complete if it has all its intended parts. Finish is more about the process than the state, focusing on the act of bringing something to a close, like finishing a meal.
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Dec 26, 2023
Emotional connotations also differ: complete can carry a sense of satisfaction or wholeness, while finish might imply relief or cessation. Feeling complete in a personal development sense is different from finishing a task on a to-do list.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Being whole or fully developed.
Bringing to an end or conclusion.
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Dec 26, 2023
Usage in Projects
All parts or requirements are present.
Work on it has stopped.
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Dec 26, 2023
Emotional Connotation
Often associated with satisfaction.
Linked to relief or cessation.
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Dec 26, 2023
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Complete and Finish Definitions
Finish
To give a final touch or appearance to.
He finished the sculpture with a polish.
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Dec 26, 2023
Complete
Having all necessary or normal parts, components, or steps; entire
A complete medical history.
A complete set of dishes.
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Oct 19, 2023
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Finish
To stop (doing an activity or task) after reaching the point at which there is nothing left to do
Finished cleaning the room.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
(Botany) Having all principal parts, namely, the sepals, petals, stamens, and pistil or pistils. Used of a flower.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
To bring to a required or desired state
Finish an assignment.
Finish a painting.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Having come to an end; concluded
The renovation of the kitchen is complete.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
(Sports) To perform the last maneuver in (an offensive play), scoring a goal.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
To give (wood, for example) a desired or particular surface texture.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
To make whole, with all necessary elements or parts
A second child would complete their family. Fill in the blanks to complete the form.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
To bring about the ruin of
The stock market crash finished many speculators.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
(Football) To throw (a forward pass) that is caught in bounds by a receiver.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
(ambitransitive) To finish; to make done; to reach the end.
He completed the assignment on time.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
To reach the end of a task, course, or relationship
The speaker finished with a rousing call to action.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
(transitive) To make whole or entire.
The last chapter completes the book nicely.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
(Sports) To score a goal as the last maneuver in a play
A good forward who just can't seem to finish.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
With all parts included; with nothing missing; full.
My life will be complete once I buy this new television.
She offered me complete control of the project.
After she found the rook, the chess set was complete.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
The reason for one's ruin; downfall
Stealing the computer codes proved to be his finish.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Finished; ended; concluded; completed.
When your homework is complete, you can go and play with Martin.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
The last treatment or coating of a surface
Applied a shellac finish to the cabinet.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Generic intensifier.
He is a complete bastard!
It was a complete shock when he turned up on my doorstep.
Our vacation was a complete disaster.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
In which every Cauchy sequence converges to a point within the space.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
In which every semantically valid well-formed formula is provable.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
That is in a given complexity class and is such that every other problem in the class can be reduced to it (usually in polynomial time or logarithmic space).
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
A protective coating given to wood or metal and other surfaces.
The car's finish was so shiny and new.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Filled up; with no part or element lacking; free from deficiency; entire; perfect; consummate.
Ye are complete in him.
That thou, dead corse, again in complete steelRevisit'st thus the glimpses of the moon.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
The result of any process changing the physical or chemical properties of cloth.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Finished; ended; concluded; completed; as, the edifice is complete.
This course of vanity almost complete.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Having all the parts or organs which belong to it or to the typical form; having calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistil.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
To bring to a state in which there is no deficiency; to perfect; to consummate; to accomplish; to fulfill; to finish; as, to complete a task, or a poem; to complete a course of education.
Bred only and completed to the tasteOf lustful appetence.
And, to complete her bliss, a fool for mate.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
(transitive) To complete (something).
Be sure to finish your homework before you go to bed!
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
(transitive) To apply a treatment to a surface or similar.
The furniture was finished in teak veneer.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Bring to a whole, with all the necessary parts or elements;
A child would complete the family
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
(transitive) To change an animal's food supply in the months before it is due for slaughter, with the intention of fattening the animal.
Due to BSE, cows in the United Kingdom must be finished and slaughtered before 30 months of age.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
(intransitive) To come to an end.
We had to leave before the concert had finished.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
(transitive) To put an end to; to destroy.
These rumours could finish your career.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Write all the required information onto a form;
Fill out this questionnaire, please!
Make out a form
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Having every necessary or normal part or component or step;
A complete meal
A complete wardrobe
A complete set pf the Britannica
A complete set of china
A complete defeat
A complete accounting
An incomplete flower
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
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 finishedA life heroic.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Perfect and complete in every respect; having all necessary qualities;
A complete gentleman
Consummate happiness
A consummate performance
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
To bestow the last required labor upon; to complete; to bestow the utmost possible labor upon; to perfect; to accomplish; to polish.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Having all four whorls or principal parts--sepals and petals and stamens and carpels (or pistils);
Complete flowers
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
To come to an end; to terminate.
His days may finish ere that hapless time.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers;
An arrant fool
A complete coward
A consummate fool
A double-dyed villain
Gross negligence
A perfect idiot
Pure folly
What a sodding mess
Stark staring mad
A thoroughgoing villain
Utter nonsense
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Having come or been brought to a conclusion;
The harvesting was complete
The affair is over, ended, finished
The abruptly terminated interview
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
The joiner work and other finer work required for the completion of a building, especially of the interior. See Inside finish, and Outside finish.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
The labor required to give final completion to any work; hence, minute detail, careful elaboration, or the like.
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
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.
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Oct 19, 2023
Complete
Thorough; exhaustive.
She conducted a complete analysis of the data.
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Dec 26, 2023
Finish
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
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Oct 19, 2023
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
The act of finishing;
His best finish in a major tournament was third
The speaker's finishing was greeted with applause
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Oct 19, 2023
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
(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
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Oct 19, 2023
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
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
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
Finally be or do something;
He ended up marrying his high school sweetheart
He wound up being unemployed and living at home again
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
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 ends in a pianissimo
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
Finish eating all the food on one's plate or on the table;
She polished off the remaining potatoes
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
Cause to finish a relationship with somebody;
That finished me with Mary
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Oct 19, 2023
Finish
To complete the last part of something.
She finished the marathon despite the pain.
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Dec 26, 2023
Finish
To consume or use all of something.
They finished the cake in one sitting.
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Dec 26, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
Is "complete" used for tasks?
Yes, especially when all parts of the task are done.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
What does it mean to complete a course?
It means to fulfill all its requirements.
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Dec 26, 2023
Can "finish" imply perfection?
Not typically; it's more about ending than achieving perfection.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
Is "finish" used in the sense of completion?
Yes, but it emphasizes the end of an action.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
Can something be complete but not finished?
Yes, like a book can be complete in content but not finished in terms of publication.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
Is it correct to say "finish your meal"?
Yes, it means to eat all that is on the plate.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
Does "finish" relate to the quality of work?
Not directly; it's more about cessation.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
Is "complete" used in sports?
Less commonly, unless referring to a set or equipment.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
Does "complete" suggest a finality?
It suggests wholeness more than finality.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
Can "finish" be used in cooking?
Yes, like finishing a dish with a garnish.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
Does "complete" have an emotional aspect?
Often, it conveys satisfaction or wholeness.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
Can a project be finished but not complete?
Yes, if it's ended but not all criteria are met.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
Can "finish" indicate the final stage of something?
Yes, like the finishing touches to a painting.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 26, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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