finishing out

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "finishing out" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to describe the act of completing or concluding a task, project, or period of time. Example: "We are finishing out the final details of the project before the deadline."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Sports

Politics

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

He looks forward, he said, to finishing out his term.

The New York Times

He was finishing out his second term as the nation's first president.

The Washington Post

So he inherits all the backlash from the former governor by finishing out her term".

The New York Times

On Friday, Palin said that finishing out her term would be just too easy.

The New York Times

For us right now, it's all about San Antonio and finishing out strong".

The New York Times

She refused to speculate, saying that she was focusing solely on finishing out her current term.

The New York Times

She decided not to make a decision while the Techsters were still playing and Barmore was finishing out his career.

The New York Times - Sports

I was a very young buck sergeant who was finishing out his last few months in the service.

The New York Times

"My focus is going to be on my next 19 months and finishing out this term strong," he said.

The New York Times

It has not been uncommon for football players to play baseball, too, even signing contracts with professional teams while finishing out their college football careers.

The New York Times - Sports

He spent one season with the Chicago Bulls before finishing out his career overseas and in the Continental Basketball Association, retiring in 1990.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "finishing out" when you want to emphasize not just completion, but also the act of seeing something through to its natural end, especially when involving a set period or task.

Common error

Avoid using "finishing out" when a task is merely stopped or abandoned. "Finishing out" implies a more deliberate and successful culmination, not simply a cessation of activity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "finishing out" functions as a phrasal verb, indicating the completion or conclusion of a task, period, or activity. Ludwig examples show it used in contexts like "finishing out his term" or "finishing out the season."

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Sports

25%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Wiki

8%

Encyclopedias

7%

Formal & Business

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "finishing out" is a versatile phrasal verb indicating the completion of a task or period. As shown in Ludwig examples, it is commonly used in news, sports, and academic contexts to describe concluding a term, season, or project. While alternatives like "completing" or "concluding" exist, "finishing out" emphasizes the process of reaching the end, confirmed by Ludwig AI as grammatically correct and widely accepted.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

completing

Focuses on the act of making something whole or entire; more general.

concluding

Emphasizes the act of bringing something to a close.

finalizing

Highlights the act of putting the last details in order.

wrapping up

Informal way to describe bringing something to an end.

seeing through

Suggests ensuring something continues to the end, facing possible challenges.

following through

Implies completing something that was started, emphasizing commitment.

bringing to a close

Formal way to indicate the end of something.

fulfilling

Emphasizes satisfying a requirement or condition to the end.

executing completely

Focuses on performing all aspects of something to its full extent.

consummating

Implies bringing something to the highest point of completion.

FAQs

How to use "finishing out" in a sentence?

You can use "finishing out" to describe completing a term, a season, or a project. For example, "He is "finishing out" his term as president" or "The team is "finishing out" the season strong".

What can I say instead of "finishing out"?

You can use alternatives like "completing", "concluding", or "wrapping up" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "finishing out the year" or "finishing the year"?

Both phrases are correct, but ""finishing out" the year" implies a more thorough or deliberate completion of the year's activities, while "finishing the year" is a more general statement.

What's the difference between "finishing out" and "phasing out"?

"Finishing out" means completing something, while "phasing out" means gradually discontinuing something. They have opposite meanings.