make a conclusive judgment
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 make a conclusive judgment、state with certainty
It means to settle a question decisively or state a conclusion with strong certainty, leaving little room for doubt.
make a conclusive judgment、state with certainty
To give a firm, conclusive judgment about a fact, prediction, or choice.
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ตำรวจยังไม่ฟันธงว่าเป็นอุบัติเหตุ tamrùat yaŋ mây fan thoŋ wâa pen ùbàttìhèet The police have not yet concluded that it was an accident. ตำรวจยังไม่ฟันธงว่าเป็นอุบัติเหตุ details
Learning notes
Explanation
ฟันธง describes ending uncertainty by giving a clear, decisive conclusion. It can be used for firmly identifying a fact, confidently predicting an outcome, or settling on one option. These are contextual uses of the same central idea rather than separate meanings. Common patterns include ฟันธงว่า followed by a clause (“conclude/state firmly that…”), ยังฟันธงไม่ได้ (“cannot say for sure yet”), and ไม่กล้าฟันธง (“would not dare say for certain”). Although ฟัน literally means “cut” and ธง means “flag,” the expression is idiomatic and should be learned as a unit. It is common in conversation as well as in news reports and commentary.
Usage
It is often used when judging the cause of an incident, predicting sports or election results, giving an expert opinion, or settling a choice in a meeting. The negative pattern ยังฟันธงไม่ได้ is especially common when the available information is not sufficient for a definite conclusion.
Caution
This verb conveys strong certainty and decisiveness, so using it without enough evidence may sound premature or overly confident. For a cautious prediction, คาดว่า (“expect”) or น่าจะ (“probably”) is more suitable. To talk simply about deciding what action to take, ตัดสินใจ is normally the better choice.
Differences from similar words
1 make a conclusive judgment synonyms
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ตัดสินใจ is the general verb for making a decision about what to do or choose. ฟันธง emphasizes reaching or stating a firm conclusion that settles an uncertain question.
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สรุป means to summarize information or arrive at a conclusion and does not necessarily imply strong certainty. ฟันธง presents the conclusion as firm and decisive.