1
as in to finish
to bring (something) to a state where nothing remains to be done
we're still finalizing our travel plans but hope to have them done by the end of the week
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to approve
to give official acceptance of as satisfactory
the bank won't finalize the loan before Tuesday because of the holiday
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of finalize
President-elect Trump is expected to sign it once finalized.
—
Vincent Hill, Baltimore Sun, 20 Jan. 2025
Trump's decision to exit Afghanistan was finalized in February 2020 as ISIS' global power appeared to be waning.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025
Baumgartner and the actor finalized their divorce in February 2024.
—Lauryn Overhultz, Fox News, 19 Jan. 2025
Their divorce was finalized in 2022, but Clarkson had to pay Blackstock, 47, a monthly spousal support of $115,000 until January 2024.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for finalize 
Vincent Hill, Baltimore Sun, 20 Jan. 2025
Trump's decision to exit Afghanistan was finalized in February 2020 as ISIS' global power appeared to be waning.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025
Baumgartner and the actor finalized their divorce in February 2024.
—Lauryn Overhultz, Fox News, 19 Jan. 2025
Their divorce was finalized in 2022, but Clarkson had to pay Blackstock, 47, a monthly spousal support of $115,000 until January 2024.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for finalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finalize
Verb
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Trump has vowed to unleash American energy production to finish off inflation and declared a state of emergency to do so but there are questions on whether U.S. companies will actually be incentivized to drill more with the cost of oil being low.—
Austin Denean,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Jan. 2025
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Previously seen in Netflix’s Seven Seconds and Apple TV+’s Truth Be Told, Lyons is finishing Howard Gordon’s upcoming Netflix limited series The Beast In Me with Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Focolare History The Focolare Movement, founded by Italian schoolteacher Chiara Lubich in the 1940s, was approved by the Catholic Church in the 1960s.—
Lisa Ling,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2025
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The Aurora City Council voted around that time last year to approve an agreement with the IEPA for the forgivable loan, which was required before the city could start accepting bids from companies for the project.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Carolina would still have approximately $26 million of cap space left over with five forwards, three defensemen and one goalie left to add to complete a full 23-man roster.—
Harman Dayal,
The Athletic,
25 Jan. 2025
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On Denver’s first drive against the Bills, Nix completed a 43-yard touchdown pass to Franklin.—
Ryan McFadden,
The Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Under Serbian law, the resignation must be ratified by the Parliament, which now has 30 days to either select a new government or call for a snap election.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
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Only three — Iran, Yemen and Libya — have not ratified or updated their portion.—
Thais Lopez Vogel,
Orlando Sentinel,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Jim Rutherford’s interview this week with The Globe and Mail confirmed as much.—
Peter Baugh,
The Athletic,
1 Feb. 2025
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Whitaker was unanimously confirmed as FAA administrator in October 2023.—
Eve Chen,
USA TODAY,
31 Jan. 2025
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Thesaurus Entries Near finalize
Cite this Entry
“Finalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finalize. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
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