English Reference

Word

complete

Phoneticscom·plete, stress on the second syllable

US/kəmˈpɫit/

UK/kəmplˈiːt/

Definitions

01to finish

A1 · Beginner

v. to finish doing something or to reach the end of a task.

v. to bring a task, project, or process to its conclusion. Transitive in most contexts, though it can appear without an object in specific instructions.

“You must complete the application form before the deadline on Friday.”

“The construction crew worked double shifts to complete the bridge before the onset of the monsoon season.”

Antonyms

02to make whole

B1 · Intermediate

v. to provide the last part that is needed to make something whole.

v. to make something whole or perfect by providing a missing element.

“This beautiful painting will complete my art collection.”

“The addition of the final witness testimony served to complete the prosecution's case against the defendant.”

Synonyms

perfectround off

03with all parts

A2 · Elementary

adj. having all the parts or pieces that are needed; not missing anything.

adj. having all necessary or appropriate parts; entire and lacking nothing.

“The set is now complete because I found the last missing book.”

“A complete list of all registered voters was provided to the observers to ensure the election's transparency.”

Synonyms

04finished

A2 · Elementary

adj. totally finished or ended.

adj. having come to an end; concluded.

“My homework is finally complete, so I can go outside and play.”

“Once the restoration was complete, the cathedral was reopened to the public for the first time in a decade.”

Synonyms

Antonyms

05total or absolute

B1 · Intermediate

adj. you use this to emphasize that something is total or absolute.

adj. used as an intensifier to emphasize the total or absolute nature of a quality, often a negative one.

“The whole surprise party was a complete disaster because he arrived early.”

“The project was a complete failure, resulting in a significant loss of capital for the primary investors.”

06mathematical/logical

C1 · Advanced Mathematics Technical

adj. a technical way to describe a system where every problem can be solved or every sequence has a limit.

adj. describing a system in which every semantically valid formula is provable, or a space where every Cauchy sequence converges.

“The professor explained why this specific set of numbers is considered complete.”

“In mathematical logic, a formal system is called complete if every statement that is true under its rules can be proven within that system.”

Collocations

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “complete” in context.

01. complete picture 02. complete a move 03. complete control 04. complete darkness 05. complete the work 06. complete project 07. complete scale 08. complete separation 09. complete sequence 10. successfully complete 11. complete in the first 12. complete story

Real-World Examples

“Mathematician Andrew Wiles completed his proof of Fermat’s last theorem in 1994, more than 350 years after Pierre Fermat proposed it.”
Nature 7 Sept 2026
“But building a complete picture of the hundreds of millions of synapses in a brain as small as the fruit fly’s is a task that can’t be achieved by humans in a manageable amount of time.”
Ars Technica 4 Sept 2026

Etymology

From Middle English compleet (“full, complete”), borrowed from Old French complet or Latin completus, past participle of compleō (“I fill up, I complete”) (whence also complement, compliment), from com- + pleō (“I fill, I fulfill”) (whence also deplete, replete, plenty), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”) (English full).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

VERB

complete(A1)

Related words

Idioms

Domains

LogicMathematics

This entry

Exam level
CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
Frequency
Very common
Level
A1 · BeginnerOxford
Updated

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English Reference