conclude

Conclude is a verb with several related senses. It commonly means to bring to an end, as in a meeting or process. It also means to decide something after considering facts or arguments, i.e., to draw a conclusion. In both senses, the verb often accompanies phrases such as conclude that, conclude with, or conclude by stating. The past tense is concluded, the present participle concluding, and the noun form conclusion is used for the result of the reasoning or decision.

Etymology: conclude derives from Latin concludere, "to shut together, to close off," formed from con- "together" and cludere "to close." The term entered English via Old French and early modern English usage, with its sense shifting from a physical sense of closing to a more abstract sense of ending or determining through reasoning.

Usage: In logic and academic writing, conclude is used to indicate a reasoned end point, e.g., "The data allow us to conclude that the hypothesis is supported." In general language, it signals completion of a process ("The conference concluded yesterday") or the act of forming a decision ("We concluded to approve the proposal"). Related phrases include draw a conclusion, come to a conclusion, and in conclusion as a transition.

Related forms: conclude (verb); conclusions (noun plural); conclusive (adj); conclusively (adv).