conclude
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to bring something to an end, or to come to an end.
to bring a speech, meeting, or piece of writing to a formal close; also functions as an intransitive verb meaning to terminate.
Simple“The speaker concluded her presentation by thanking the audience for their time.”
In context“The legal proceedings concluded after three weeks of testimony, leaving the jury to deliberate on the complex evidence presented.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'with' or 'by'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to decide that something is true after you have thought about it carefully.
to reach a logical judgment or opinion by reasoning; to infer or deduce from evidence.
Simple“The doctors concluded that the patient needed surgery after looking at the test results.”
In context“Based on the statistical anomalies in the data, the researchers concluded that the initial hypothesis was fundamentally flawed.”
UsageFrequently followed by a 'that' clause.
- 03 C1 Advanced
to complete a formal agreement or a business deal.
to bring about a final result, such as a treaty or business arrangement, through negotiation.
Simple“The two companies finally concluded the deal late last night.”
In context“The diplomats worked tirelessly to conclude the peace treaty before the ceasefire deadline expired.”
Teacher's tipIn this sense, 'conclude' is almost exclusively used for high-level formal agreements like treaties or multi-million dollar contracts.
Usage conclude section · finally conclude
From Middle English concluden, borrowed from Latin conclūdere (“to shut up, close, end”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.