From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishextinctionex‧tinc‧tion /ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/ ●○○ noun [uncountable] 1 HBEXISTwhen a particular type of animal or plant stops existing species in danger of extinctionon the verge/edge/brink of extinction (=nearly extinct) The breed was on the verge of extinction. They were hunted almost to extinction. Conservationists are trying to save the whale from extinction.face extinction/be threatened with extinction Many endangered species now face extinction.2 DISAPPEARwhen a type of person, custom, skill etc stops existing Their traditional way of life seems doomed to extinction.COLLOCATIONSverbsface extinction (=be likely to stop existing soon)The red squirrel faces extinction in England and Wales unless conservation measures are taken.cause/lead to extinction (=make an animal, plant etc stop existing)Exactly what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?phrasesbe threatened with extinction (=very likely to stop existing)Hundreds of species of birds are now threatened with extinction.be in danger of extinctionThe species are in danger of extinction in the UK.be on the brink/verge of extinction (=be at the point of almost not existing)The Siberian crane is on the verge of extinction due to hunting.be saved from extinctionThere are hopes that the animals have now been saved from extinction.adjectivestotal/complete extinctionHippos may face total extinction if their habitat continues to dwindle.near extinction (=being almost becoming extinct)Wolves have returned to the forest, almost ten years after near extinction.virtual extinction (=being very nearly extinct)The deer has been hunted to virtual extinction.certain extinction (=extinction which will definitely happen)The crested ibis faces certain extinction in Japan after attempts to breed from the sole remaining pair have failed.imminent/impending extinction (=likely to happen soon)The ban on hunting was introduced to stop the imminent extinction of some big game animals.
Examples from the Corpus
extinction• Out of 329 parrot species, 30 now face extinction.• attempts to save the elephant from extinction• In the infrared, extinction by dust is an order of magnitude smaller than in the visible portion of the spectrum.• Among the Scandinavian settlers of the Upper Mississippi Valley, leprosy had declined to near extinction.• Loss of beachfront habitat and predation by domestic cats and introduced red foxes pushed the least tern to the brink of extinction.• The Scarlet Macaw is in imminent danger of extinction.• Greenpeace believes that whales are in danger of extinction.• If it were as bad as its critics contend, our society would be teetering on the edge of extinction.• Epistandard rates of evolution are required to make up the loss through extinction.• The belugas of the St Lawrence may now number only 400, and this local population is almost certainly doomed to extinction.• Large numbers of rare and beautiful Alpine plants are threatened with extinction.in danger of extinction• Appendix I of the convention lists species in danger of extinction. 