end

1 of 5

noun

1
a
: the part of an area that lies at the boundary
b(1)
: a point that marks the extent of something
(2)
: the point where something ceases to exist
world without end
c
: the extreme or last part lengthwise : tip
d
: the terminal unit of something spatial that is marked off by units
e
: a player stationed at the extremity of a line or team (as in football)
2
a
: cessation of a course of action, pursuit, or activity
c(1)
: the ultimate state
(2)
3
: something incomplete, fragmentary, or undersized : remnant
4
a
: an outcome worked toward : purpose
the end of poetry is to be poetryR. P. Warren
b
: the object by virtue of or for the sake of which an event takes place
5
a
: a share in an undertaking
kept your end up
b
: a particular operation or aspect of an undertaking or organization
the sales end of the business
6
: something that is extreme : ultimate
used with the
7
: a period of action or turn in any of various sports events (such as archery or lawn bowling)
ended adjective

end

2 of 5

verb (1)

ended; ending; ends

transitive verb

1
a
: to bring to an end
b
2
: to make up the end of
a wedding scene ends the film

intransitive verb

1
a
: to come to an end
the meeting will end at noon
b
: to reach a specified ultimate rank, situation, or place
usually used with up
ended up as a colonel
2
: die

end

3 of 5

adjective

: final, ultimate
end results
end markets

end

4 of 5

verb (2)

ended; ending; ends

transitive verb

dialectal, England
: to put (grain or hay) into a barn or stack

end-

5 of 5

combining form

variants or endo-
1
: within : inside
endoskeleton
compare ect-, exo-
2
: taking in
endothermic
Phrases
in the end
: after all, ultimately
will surely succeed in the end
no end
: exceedingly
it pleases us no end
on end
: without a stop or letup
it rained for days on end
Choose the Right Synonym for end

Noun

intention, intent, purpose, design, aim, end, object, objective, goal mean what one intends to accomplish or attain.

intention implies little more than what one has in mind to do or bring about.

announced his intention to marry

intent suggests clearer formulation or greater deliberateness.

the clear intent of the statute

purpose suggests a more settled determination.

being successful was her purpose in life

design implies a more carefully calculated plan.

the order of events came by accident, not design

aim adds to these implications of effort directed toward attaining or accomplishing.

her aim was to raise film to an art form

end stresses the intended effect of action often in distinction or contrast to the action or means as such.

willing to use any means to achieve his end

object may equal end but more often applies to a more individually determined wish or need.

his constant object was the achievement of pleasure

objective implies something tangible and immediately attainable.

their objective is to seize the oil fields

goal suggests something attained only by prolonged effort and hardship.

worked years to reach her goals

Verb (1)

close, end, conclude, finish, complete, terminate mean to bring or come to a stopping point or limit.

close usually implies that something has been in some way open as well as unfinished.

close a debate

end conveys a strong sense of finality.

ended his life

conclude may imply a formal closing (as of a meeting).

the service concluded with a blessing

finish may stress completion of a final step in a process.

after it is painted, the house will be finished

complete implies the removal of all deficiencies or a successful finishing of what has been undertaken.

the resolving of this last issue completes the agreement

terminate implies the setting of a limit in time or space.

your employment terminates after three months

Examples of end in a Sentence

Noun The report is due at the end of the month. She interviewed several players at the end of the game. The restaurant is in the north end of the city. We biked from one end of the island to the other. The house is at the end of the road. They live at opposite ends of town. the deep end of a swimming pool She drove the end of the stake into the ground. The car's front end was damaged. One end of the rope was tangled. Adjective the end product of a process the end point of the operation
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But in the end, the Queen of Flips managed to pull out another transformative performance, sending Plasma packing. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 5 Mar. 2024 At the end of the vlog, her father makes a brief appearance as Isabella prepares for an unexpected surgery to drain fluid from the back of her head. Shania Russell, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2024 In addition to the salon, Lugano plans to open a temporary lounge at Hampshire’s Farnborough Airport in South East England at the end of April. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024 Zuckerberg sold nearly $428 million worth of Meta Platforms, Inc. shares at the end of 2023, according to Market Watch, which referenced a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2024 The premier’s news conference, held at the end of the NPC since the 1980s and one of the few moments of relative openness in the Communist system, has been canceled this year. Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 Even today, on most urban streets, the only bald eagles typically found are metal castings at the end of flagpoles. Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2024 The Thunder, one of the league’s top-scoring teams, were held to 43 points at halftime (on a season-low 30.6% shooting) and 72 at the end of the third quarter, with the Lakers leading by 17 going into the fourth. Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 5 Mar. 2024 The triple-beep alert at the end of a cycle is a nice touch, too. Samson McDougall, Parents, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
Lee, who joined Congress in 1998, has long been one of the most vocal antiwar politicians in Washington, casting the sole vote against authorizing a military response in Afghanistan after 9/11 and taking a firm stance to end the Gaza war in her Senate campaign. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 The field was left wide open when incumbent Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Lake Norman-area Republican, announced his plans to step down from the seat after this term, ending a 20-year run in Congress. Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 As his three-year enlistment was about to end, he was hit with a stop-loss order, an involuntary extension of active duty. Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Oregon passed a new bill, nudging California to lead the West Coast in ending Daylight Saving Time. Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 Iowa is likely to be among the favorites for the tournament, as Clark aims to end her college career on a high. Sam Joseph, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 In my TikTok feed, a woman tries to end her three-day battle with constipation by chugging it straight from the bottle. Adam Markovitz, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Against all odds, the season ends on a happy, hopeful note as Johnny and Amy actually do get married. Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 This isn’t the first time JetBlue has come under fire for anti-trust issues: a U.S. judge similarly ordered JetBlue and American Airlines to end their alliance last year, which JetBlue subsequently decided not to appeal. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The long diagonal spout provides greater reach into garden beds, and the interchangeable brass roses (the end sprinkler attachments) allow for customized water pressure from a fine mist to heavier shower. Ebony Roberts, wsj.com, 17 Oct. 2023 The end-Triassic extinction, which happened 201 million years ago, was Earth’s third most severe extinction event since the dawn of animal life. Howard Lee, Ars Technica, 8 Feb. 2023 The Republican Party has gone all in on the culture war, and its end-state goal is to force the unconditional surrender of blue states on issues of health care access for women and transgender people. Brynn Tannehill, The New Republic, 15 Mar. 2023 Associated and Nicolet shares also started to bounce after sinking early Monday morning, posting end-ofthe-day declines 3.8% and 2.9%, respectively, while U.S. Bank’s stock fell 10%. Genevieve Redsten, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2023 Crawford’s end-of-2022 numbers — a 3-6 record and 5.47 ERA with a 23.1 percent strikeout rate and 8.7 percent walk rate before getting shut down with a shoulder impingement — were hardly dazzling. Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Mar. 2023 The process would recycle end-of-life battery and production scrap and remanufacture that into critical materials, the Energy Department said in a blog post. Matthew Daly, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2023 While most sharks gradually returned to shallow waters after the end-Permian mass extinction, some species permanently adapted to deeper waters, concludes the Cladodontomorph study. Samantha Arrowsmith, Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2022 SungEel Recycling Park Georgia will recycle end-of-life batteries to reclaim critical metals such as nickel, cobalt and lithium. J. Scott Trubey, ajc, 18 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'end.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English ende, from Old English; akin to Old High German enti end, Latin ante before, Greek anti against

Verb (2)

probably alteration of English dialect in to harvest

Combining form

French, from Greek, from endon within; akin to Greek en in, Old Latin indu, Hittite andan within — more at in

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1607, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of end was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near end

Cite this Entry

“End.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/end. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

end

1 of 3 noun
1
a
: the part at the boundary of an area
b
: a point that marks the limit of something or the point where something no longer exists
no end to her generosity
the end of the month
c
: the last part lengthwise : tip
2
a
: the stopping of a process or activity
3
: something left over : remnant
4
5
: a football lineman whose position is at the end of the line
6
: a phase of an undertaking
the sales end of the business
ended adjective

end

2 of 3 verb
: to bring or come to an end : stop

end-

3 of 3 combining form
variants or endo-
1
: within : inside
endoskeleton
compare exo-
2
: taking in
endothermic
Etymology

Combining form

derived from Greek end-, endo- "inside, within"

More from Merriam-Webster on end

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