snuff out

English

Verb

snuff out (third-person singular simple present snuffs out, present participle snuffing out, simple past and past participle snuffed out)

1. (transitive) To extinguish, to stop a process, to kill, to rub out.
   • 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     Elmander's lovely flick nearly set Taylor free inside the box but, this time, Boswinga reacted well to snuff out any real danger.

   • 2017 August 25, Aukkarapon Niyomyat & Panarat Thepgumpanat, "Thai junta seeks Yingluck's arrest as former PM skips court verdict", in reuters.com, Reuters

     The verdict against Yingluck is widely seen as having the potential to reignite tensions, though the junta has largely snuffed out open opposition.

2. (transitive) To kill a living being.

Related terms

• snuff film