ENGLISH
REFERENCE

finish off

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford Informal

phr. v.. to complete the last part of a task or to eat the rest of something.

phr. v.. to complete a task or consume a remaining portion entirely; often implies a sense of finality or the exhaustion of a resource.


SIMPLE

I need to finish off my homework before dinner.

CONTEXTUAL

We were almost full, but we decided to finish off the cake so it wouldn't go to waste.

COMPLEX

The architect spent the weekend finishing off the final blueprints to ensure the project could commence on Monday morning.

Particles
off
Separability
optional
Pattern
finish (+ object) + off (+ object)
Usage

commonly used with food, drinks, or small remaining tasks.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'finish' (general completion); 'finish off' emphasizes reaching the very end of a specific amount or a final stage.

Pitfall

I finished the coffee off it.I finished the coffee off.when the object is a noun, it can go before or after the particle, but you do not repeat the object as a pronoun.

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