What does completing mean?
"Completing" is the present participle and gerund of the verb "complete," meaning to finish something or bring it to its intended end. It appears constantly in everyday and formal contexts: completing a form, completing a project, completing a degree, or completing a journey. Beyond simply ending, the word implies wholeness — to complete something is to make it entire, leaving no part lacking. This nuance traces back to the word's Latin root plēre, meaning "to fill," which also gives us words like "complement" and "plenty." In use, "completing" can describe an ongoing action ("she is completing her thesis") or serve as a noun-like activity ("completing the survey takes five minutes"). Its tone is neutral and practical, common in instructions, education, and business writing, though casual speech often favors "finishing." A frequent spelling pitfall is confusing it with "complementing," which means enhancing rather than concluding — a single-letter difference with entirely different meanings.
verbThe present participle of "complete": to finish making or doing something, or to bring it to an end so that nothing is lacking.
- To finish or bring to completion a task, process, or piece of work.
- To make something whole or perfect by adding what is missing.
"She spent the evening completing her application before the midnight deadline."
"He was completing his final year of medical school when he decided to specialize."
"The puzzle remained unfinished until she placed the last piece, completing the picture."
Swap one letter and "completing" becomes "complementing" — finishing a job versus flattering it — a typo that has embarrassed countless writers.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of completing
"Complete" entered English in the late Middle Ages via Old French from Latin completus, the past participle of complēre, meaning "to fill up" or "to make whole," from com- ("together") plus plēre ("to fill"). The same Latin root produced "complement" and, through different development, "plenty" and "fill." The verb took on its modern sense of bringing a task or thing to a finished state, and "completing" emerged as its participle as English verb morphology standardized. Cognates across Romance languages include French compléter and Spanish completar.
Related word forms
How completing is actually used
"Completing" functions both as a progressive verb form ("she is completing") and as a gerund ("completing the course takes patience"). It carries a neutral, slightly formal register common in academic and workplace contexts; in casual speech people often prefer "finishing" or "wrapping up."
Easily confused with completing
"Complementing" means to combine well with or enhance something else, while "completing" means to finish it; the two differ by one letter and are frequently mixed up in writing.