Complete means to finish something entirely, with nothing left undone. When you complete your homework, you've answered every question. When a puzzle is complete, every piece is in place. When builders complete a house, it's ready for someone to move in.

The word carries a sense of wholeness and thoroughness. You might finish reading a book by skipping to the last page, but you only complete it by reading every chapter. A half-painted fence is finished for the day but not complete. Complete means that all the necessary parts are present and the job is truly done.

Complete also works as an adjective meaning whole or total. A complete breakfast includes all the foods you need to start the day. A complete disaster means everything went wrong, with every part of the plan failing. When you give something your complete attention, you focus on it entirely, letting nothing else distract you.

Sometimes people use complete to emphasize how total something is: “That's complete nonsense” means it's entirely wrong, with no truth to it at all. The word adds force and certainty, making clear there are no exceptions or missing pieces.