having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full: a complete set of Mark Twain's writings.
2.
finished; ended; concluded: a complete orbit.
3.
having all the required or customary characteristics, skills, or the like; consummate; perfect in kind or quality: a complete scholar.
4.
thorough; entire; total; undivided, uncompromised, or unmodified: a complete victory; a complete mess.
5.
Grammar. having all modifying or complementary elements included: The complete subject of “The dappled pony gazed over the fence” is “The dappled pony.” Compare simple(def. 20).
6.
Also, completed.Football. (of a forward pass) caught by a receiver.
7.
Logic. (of a set of axioms) such that every true proposition able to be formulated in terms of the basic ideas of a given system is deducible from the set. Compare incomplete(def. 4b).
8.
Engineering. noting a determinate truss having the least number of members required to connect the panel points so as to form a system of triangles. Compare incomplete(def. 3), redundant(def. 5c).
9.
(of persons) accomplished; skilled; expert.
10.
Mathematics.
a.
of or pertaining to an algebraic system, as a field with an order relation defined on it, in which every set of elements of the system has a least upper bound.
b.
of or pertaining to a set in which every fundamental sequence converges to an element of the set. Compare fundamental sequence.
c.
(of a lattice) having the property that every subset has a least upper bound and a greatest lower bound.
–verb (used with object)
11.
to make whole or entire: I need three more words to complete the puzzle.
12.
to make perfect: His parting look of impotent rage completed my revenge.
13.
to bring to an end; finish: Has he completed his new novel yet?
14.
to consummate.
15.
Football. to execute (a forward pass) successfully: He completed 17 passes in 33 attempts.
[Origin: 1325–75; ME (< MF) < L complétus (ptp. of complére to fill up, fulfill, equiv. to com-com-+ plé-fill+ -tus ptp. suffix]
—Related forms
com·plet·a·ble, adjective
com·plet·ed·ness, noun
com·plete·ly, adverb
com·plete·ness, noun
com·plet·er, noun
com·ple·tive, adjective
com·ple·tive·ly, adverb
—Synonyms 1. unbroken, unimpaired, undivided. 1–3.Complete,entire,intact,perfect imply that there is no lack or defect, nor has any part been removed. Complete implies that a certain unit has all its parts, fully developed or perfected, and may apply to a process or purpose carried to fulfillment: a complete explanation. Entire means whole, having unbroken unity: an entire book. Intact implies retaining completeness and original condition: a package delivered intact. Perfect emphasizes not only completeness but also high quality and absence of defects or blemishes: a perfect diamond. 3. developed. 11. conclude, consummate, perfect, accomplish, achieve.
—Antonyms 1. partial. 3. defective.
—Usage note Occasionally there are objections to modifying complete with qualifiers like almost, more, most, nearly, and quite, because they suggest that complete is relative rather than absolute: an almost complete record; a more complete proposal; the most complete list available. However, such uses are fully standard and occur regularly in all varieties of spoken and written English. See also perfect, unique.
Having all necessary or normal parts, components, or steps; entire: a complete meal.
Botany Having all principal parts, namely, the sepals, petals, stamens, and pistil or pistils. Used of a flower.
Having come to an end; concluded.
Absolute; total: "In Cairo I have seen buildings which were falling down as they were being put up, buildings whose incompletion was complete"(William H. Gass).
Skilled; accomplished: a complete musician.
Thorough; consummate: a complete coward.
Football Caught in bounds by a receiver: a complete pass.
tr.v.
com·plet·ed, com·plet·ing, com·pletes
To bring to a finish or an end: She has completed her studies.
To make whole, with all necessary elements or parts: A second child would complete their family.
Football To throw (a forward pass) so as to be caught by a receiver.
[Middle English complet, from Latin complētus, past participle of complēre, to fill out : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + plēre, to fill; see pelə-1 in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These verbs mean to bring or come to a natural or proper stopping point. Complete and finish suggest the final stage in an undertaking: "Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime" (Reinhold Niebuhr). "Give us the tools, and we will finish the job" (Winston S. Churchill).
Close applies to the ending of something ongoing or continuing: The band closed the concert with an encore. End emphasizes finality: We ended the meal with fruit and cheese. Conclude is more formal than complete and close:The author concluded the article by restating the major points. Terminate suggests reaching an established limit: The playing of the national anthem terminated the station's broadcast for the night.
It also indicates the dissolution of a formal arrangement: The firm terminated my contract yesterday.
Usage Note: Complete is sometimes considered absolute like perfect or chief, which is not subject to comparison. Nonetheless, it can be qualified as more or less, for example. A majority of the Usage Panel accepts the example His book is the most complete treatment of the subject. See Usage Note at absolute.
having every necessary or normal part or component or step; "a complete meal"; "a complete wardrobe"; "a complete set of the Britannica"; "a complete set of china"; "a complete defeat"; "a complete accounting" [ant: incomplete]
2.
perfect and complete in every respect; having all necessary qualities; "a complete gentleman"; "consummate happiness"; "a consummate performance"
3.
highly skilled; "an accomplished pianist"; "a complete musician" [syn: accomplished]
4.
without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers; "an arrant fool"; "a complete coward"; "a consummate fool"; "a double-dyed villain"; "gross negligence"; "a perfect idiot"; "pure folly"; "what a sodding mess"; "stark staring mad"; "a thoroughgoing villain"; "utter nonsense"; "the unadulterated truth"
5.
having come or been brought to a conclusion; "the harvesting was complete"; "the affair is over, ended, finished"; "the abruptly terminated interview"
verb
1.
come or bring to a finish or an end; "He finished the dishes"; "She completed the requirements for her Master's Degree"; "The fastest runner finished the race in just over 2 hours; others finished in over 4 hours"
2.
bring to a whole, with all the necessary parts or elements; "A child would complete the family"
3.
complete or carry out; "discharge one's duties" [syn: dispatch]
4.
complete a pass
5.
write all the required information onto a form; "fill out this questionnaire, please!"; "make out a form"
Ac*com"plish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Accomplished, p. pr. & vb. n. Accomplishing.] [OE. acomplissen, OF. accomplir, F. accomplir; L. ad + complere to fill up, complete. See Complete, Finish.]1. To complete, as time or distance. That He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. --Dan. ix. 2. He had accomplished half a league or more. --Prescott. 2. To bring to an issue of full success; to effect; to perform; to execute fully; to fulfill; as, to accomplish a design, an object, a promise. This that is written must yet be accomplished in me. --Luke xxii. 37. 3. To equip or furnish thoroughly; hence, to complete in acquirements; to render accomplished; to polish. The armorers accomplishing the knights. --Shak. It [the moon] is fully accomplished for all those ends to which Providence did appoint it. --Wilkins. These qualities . . . go to accomplish a perfect woman. --Cowden Clarke. 4. To gain; to obtain. [Obs.] --Shak. Syn: To do; perform; fulfill; realize; effect; effectuate; complete; consummate; execute; achieve; perfect; equip; furnish. Usage: To Accomplish, Effect, Execute, Achieve, Perform. These words agree in the general idea of carrying out to some end proposed. To accomplish (to fill up to the measure of the intention) generally implies perseverance and skill; as, to accomplish a plan proposed by one's self, an object, a design, an undertaking. "Thou shalt accomplish my desire." --1 Kings v. 9. He . . . expressed his desire to see a union accomplished between England and Scotland. --Macaulay. To effect (to work out) is much like accomplish. It usually implies some degree of difficulty contended with; as, he effected or accomplished what he intended, his purpose, but little. "What he decreed, he effected." --Milton. To work in close design by fraud or guile What force effected not. --Milton. To execute (to follow out to the end, to carry out, or into effect) implies a set mode of operation; as, to execute the laws or the orders of another; to execute a work, a purpose, design, plan, project. To perform is much like to do, though less generally applied. It conveys a notion of protracted and methodical effort; as, to perform a mission, a part, a task, a work. "Thou canst best perform that office." --Milton. The Saints, like stars, around his seat Perform their courses still. --Keble. To achieve (to come to the end or arrive at one's purpose) usually implies some enterprise or undertaking of importance, difficulty, and excellence.
Com"ple*ment\, n. [L. complementun: cf. F. compl['e]ment. See Complete, v. t., and cf. Compliment.]1. That which fills up or completes; the quantity or number required to fill a thing or make it complete. 2. That which is required to supply a deficiency, or to complete a symmetrical whole. History is the complement of poetry. --Sir J. Stephen. 3. Full quantity, number, or amount; a complete set; completeness. To exceed his complement and number appointed him which was one hundred and twenty persons. --Hakluyt. 4. (Math.) A second quantity added to a given quantity to make it equal to a third given quantity. 5. Something added for ornamentation; an accessory. [Obs.] Without vain art or curious complements. --Spenser. 6. (Naut.) The whole working force of a vessel. 7. (Mus.) The interval wanting to complete the octave; -- the fourth is the complement of the fifth, the sixth of the third. 8. A compliment. [Obs.] --Shak. Arithmetical compliment of a logarithm. See under Logarithm. Arithmetical complement of a number (Math.), the difference between that number and the next higher power of 10; as, 4 is the complement of 6, and 16 of 84. Complement of anarc or angle (Geom.), the difference between that arc or angle and 90[deg]. Complement of a parallelogram. (Math.) See Gnomon. In her complement (Her.), said of the moon when represented as full.
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