finishes

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of finish.

   She finishes every project well ahead of schedule.

   The river trail finishes near the old mill.

   Note

   The form a singular subject calls for. It is built the same way as the plural noun. It works with an object and without one. In "she finishes the report," someone completes something. In "the trail finishes near the mill," the thing itself comes to an end. With an object it can also mean treating a surface: he finishes the oak with oil. Context, not form, decides which reading is meant.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of finish.

   The cyclists are known for their dramatic sprint finishes.

   The carpenter offered several wood finishes for the new cabinets.

   Note

   A spelling shared with the present-tense verb, and it takes -es rather than -s because finish ends in a hissing sound, as wishes and brushes do. As a noun plural it counts kinds or instances. Wood finishes are different coatings, fabric finishes are different treatments of cloth, and sprint finishes are separate race endings. Position tells the two forms apart: after an article or adjective it is the noun.

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