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Glite Dictionary
💀 To end completely 🕯️ To extinguish
to snuff out

to snuff out

6 4.7
Stop a flame, candle, or small fire from burning
  • phrasal verb
  • /snʌf aʊt/
translation icon : apagar
  • When a routine inspection of the traps reveals a captured medfly, agricultural agencies can move quickly to snuff out the remaining intruders before the population builds.
  • snuffed out the candle
  • snuffed out the flame
  • snuffed out that fire

Don't like, you know, snuff out that light when it's just been, you know, lit for the first time.

Examples

  • Francesca snuffed out her cigarette in the ashtray, swung open the door, and put her boots on the gravel.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • A cigarette is snuffed out.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • All the lanterns have been snuffed out.

    Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

  • Susan Schiffer is on TV with shots of the fire being snuffed out.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Hank snuffs out his cigarette and pulls his tie off-center.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • To ensure safety, please snuff out the candle before leaving the room.

  • The firefighters worked tirelessly to snuff out the blaze before it spread.

  • He used his hand to snuff out the flickering flame of the match.

Synonyms

to put out
vsto snuff out
114 2.0

Make a fire, light, or cigarette stop burning

is the phrasal form used commonly in everyday speech
to blow out
vsto snuff out
50 2.4

Stop a flame by breathing on it

describes stopping flames more generally, not only by breath
to snuff
vsto snuff out
31 5.7

To put out a small flame by covering or pinching it

focuses on the general act without specifying the pinching method
to extinguish
vsto snuff out
23 4.4

Stop a fire, candle, or other light from burning

is the phrasal, slightly more informal expression for the same action
to douse
vsto snuff out
20 5.1

To stop a fire or light from burning

can mean the same but not always imply using liquid to stop it
to quench
vsto snuff out
16 4.2

To stop thirst by drinking or to put out a fire by cooling it

is the broader stopping act, not limited to cooling methods
to stamp out
vsto snuff out
13 4.2

To stop something completely using strong action

is specifically about stopping burning, not general elimination
to smother
vsto snuff out
11 5.3

To stop a small fire by covering it so it has no air

is the general act without focusing on covering or oxygen removal
to put out a fire
vsto snuff out
5 2.5

Stop a fire burning and spreading

covers extinguishing any flame or light, not only large fires
to stub out
vsto snuff out
  • Informal
3 5.3

To press the burning end of a cigarette against a surface to put it out

is the broader act of stopping flames, not only by pressing on ends
to crush out
vsto snuff out
1 4.0

To press a small burning thing so it stops burning, for example a cigarette

focuses on stopping burns generally, not only crushing methods
to outen
vsto snuff out
  • Archaic
9.9

To put out a fire or light

is the common phrase used for stopping flames by any method
to press out
vsto snuff out
3.4

To stop something burning by crushing it

is the general stopping act, not limited to crushing actions

Antonyms

to light
905 1.0

To make something start to burn or shine

to ignite
66 4.0

To make something start burning

How Extinguished

to douse
20 5.1
to snuff out
6 4.7
to put out
114 2.0
to blow out
50 2.4

Surface Forms

snuff out infinitive
snuffed out past
snuffed out past participle
snuffing out present participle
snuffs out third person singular

Morphology

snuff + out

The verb's literal sense of extinguishing a flame ('snuff' + 'out') maps metaphorically onto ending or killing something, so a learner who knows both constituents would get a clear clue. However, the extension from putting out a light to killing or terminating an abstract thing is a metaphorical shift and 'snuff' is relatively low-frequency, so the exact sense (especially 'kill') may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

The verb snuff out comes from pinching a candle flame or using a small tool to put the light out, so the fire stops quickly. That's why it means 'to put out' a flame, fire, or light.