con|clud´er

con|clude «kuhn KLOOD», verb, -clud|ed, -clud|ing.

–v.t.

1. to bring to an end; finish: »

He concluded the meeting by saying “Amen.”

SYNONYM(S): terminate. See syn. under end. (Cf. ↑end)

2. to reach (certain decisions or opinions) by reasoning; infer: »

From the tracks we saw, we concluded that the animal must have been a deer.

3. to settle; arrange: »

The two countries concluded an agreement on trade. After the Revolutionary War the United States and Great Britain concluded a peace treaty.

4. to decide; resolve: »

I concluded not to go.

5. Archaic. to shut up; enclose.

6. Law. to restrain; bind.

–v.i.

1. to come to an end; end; finish; close: »

The play concluded with a happy ending and the curtain came down.

SYNONYM(S): terminate. See syn. under end. (Cf. ↑end)

2. to come to a decision; decide.

3. to arrive at an opinion or judgment; resolve.

╂[< Latin conclūdere < com- (intensive) + claudere close]

–con|clud´er, noun.

Synonym Study transitive verb. 2 Conclude, infer, deduce mean to arrive at a decision. Conclude implies reaching a sound decision on the basis of the evidence at hand: »

From the evidence, we concluded that he was innocent.

Infer also suggests using the evidence at hand but does not necessarily imply that the decision is sound: »

From his story we inferred that he went unwillingly.

Deduce implies an inference based either on good evidence or on some general principle: »

Mother deduced from my loss of appetite what had happened to the cookies.