collocations.org

Collocations for finish - noun

1. last part/end of sth

ADJECTIVE

exciting, fantastic, good, great, thrilling, tremendous (esp. BrE)
His best finish was 11th in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
perfect
It was the perfect finish to a wonderful day.
disappointing
sprint, storming (BrE), strong
The runners came around the bend for a sprint finish in the home straight.
close, dramatic, nail-biting, photo, tight
It was a photo finish, with three horses neck and neck at the finishing line.
second-place, etc.
last-place (AmE), runner-up
The team had another last-place finish.
podium
The pair just missed out on a podium finish when they took fourth place.
uphill
He won a hard uphill finish at the recent Tour de Suisse.

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VERB + finish

be in at (BrE)
Her car suffered from gearbox trouble, but she was still in at the finish.

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finish + NOUN

line (AmE)

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PREPOSITION

at the finish
Several runners needed medical attention at the finish.
to a/the finish
They fought bravely right to the finish.
finish to
a dramatic finish to the game

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PHRASES

from start to finish
He was in the lead from start to finish.

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2. look/feel of sth

ADJECTIVE

good, neat (BrE), perfect
professional (esp. BrE)
decorative
fine, smooth
textured
natural
faux (AmE)
The walls have a faux finish that mimics old plaster walls.
paint, painted
polished
gloss, glossy, matt/matte, mirror, satin, shiny
chrome, metallic, nickel, stainless-steel, wood
a guitar with a natural wood finish
surface
durable
protective
floor, wall, etc.
The wall and floor finishes are all of the the highest standard.
exterior, interior

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VERB + finish

have
This paint has a gloss finish.
achieve, get
With our new tool you get a perfect finish every time.
create, give (sth), produce, provide
This trim really does give the garment a professional finish.
match
The wall has been painted to match the finish of the original.
apply
Make sure the surface is clean and smooth before the finish is applied.

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finish + NOUN

coat (AmE)

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PREPOSITION

to a finish
Sand the wood to a fine finish using steel wool.
with a finish
a door handle with a metallic finish
finish on
How did you achieve that finish on the wood?

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Collocations for finish - verb

ADVERB

almost, nearly
barely, just
Murdo had barely finished talking to Mikey when the bell rang.
She had just finished dressing when the telephone rang.
recently
soon
eventually, finally
quickly
I quickly finished my tea.
lamely, quietly, softly
‘I had no idea … ’ I finished lamely.
off
He finished off by welcoming the new arrivals.

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VERB + finish

let sb
Let me just finish what I'm doing.

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PREPOSITION

by
He finished by telling us about his trip to Spain.
with
The evening finished with a few songs.
Have you finished with the vacuum cleaner yet?

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Finish is used with these nouns as the subject:
exam, work, year

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Finish is used with these nouns as the object:
assignment, brandy, business, call, career, coffee, college, conversation, course, cup, degree, dissertation, doctorate, draft, drink, education, errand, essay, grade, high school, homework, jigsaw, job, journey, lap, manuscript, marathon, master, meeting, novel, packing, painting, paperwork, pint, preparation, project, school, schooling, season, semester, sentence, session, shift, stint, study, task, thesis, training, university, whisky, work, workout

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