end

noun

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\ ˈend

Definition of end

(Entry 1 of 5)

1a : 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)

2a : cessation of a course of action, pursuit, or activity

b : death, destruction

c(1) : the ultimate state

(2) : result, issue

3 : something incomplete, fragmentary, or undersized : remnant

4a : an outcome worked toward : purpose the end of poetry is to be poetry— R. P. Warren

b : the object by virtue of or for the sake of which an event takes place

5a : 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)

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

end

verb (1)

ended; ending; ends

Definition of end (Entry 2 of 5)

transitive verb

1a : to bring to an end

b : destroy

2 : to make up the end of a wedding scene ends the film

intransitive verb

1a : 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

adjective

Definition of end (Entry 3 of 5)

: final, ultimate end results end markets

end

verb (2)

ended; ending; ends

Definition of end (Entry 4 of 5)

transitive verb

dialectal, England

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

end-

combining form

variants: or endo-

Definition of end- (Entry 5 of 5)

1 : within : inside endoskeleton — compare ect-, exo-

2 : taking in endothermic

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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 The summary question for all this is whether the enormous period of economic growth is at an end? — Frank Lavin, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2021 One curious example is a metal utensil with a long and slender neck and a shallow, circular scoop at the end. — Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Oct. 2021 But also that [Stephanie] at the end does become a best-selling author is incredibly hopeful. — Lane Florsheim, WSJ, 6 Oct. 2021 Women had higher counts of antibodies than men at both their peaks and at the study’s end. — Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2021 Some of these races will have a beer garden at the end. — Christina Tkacik, baltimoresun.com, 6 Oct. 2021 Peacock wallpaper adorns the space with a king-size bed that has a roll-top bathtub sitting at the end. — Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2021 The decision to kick at the end was probably a coin flip, but Folk usually doesn’t have the leg from 56 yards. — BostonGlobe.com, 4 Oct. 2021 At the end, BYU had a total of 66 plays in the game. — Norma Gonzalez, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 Oct. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Instead of taking the step that will cement his win, and trigger the game workers to kill his childhood friend Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo), Gi-hun turns and tries to convince Sang-woo to end the games there. — Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 9 Oct. 2021 Former Brewer Orlando Arcia grounded to second with runners on the corners to end the game. — Steve Megargee, chicagotribune.com, 9 Oct. 2021 Of this global total AUM, North American managers’ AUM rose 13 percent to end 2020 at $57 trillion. — Carrie Mccabe, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2021 The current extension was set to end Saturday, and an evergreen clause in the current contract keeps certain rules in place for up to eight years if a new agreement is not reached. — Jacob Beltran, San Antonio Express-News, 8 Oct. 2021 Due to the personal nature of the client-therapist dynamic, trying to end the relationship can be awkward and even painful. — Lindy Segal, PEOPLE.com, 8 Oct. 2021 His concern is that without a final agreement at a Group of 20 summit this month, a historic window of opportunity to end years of negotiation will close as chances of U.S. Congressional approval quickly fade thereafter. — Morwenna Coniam, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2021 Eleven Republicans voted to end debate, providing the threshold needed to move the bill to a final vote. — Compiled Democrat-gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2021 Martin Maldonado, the next batter, nearly added on, but his deep fly ball to right was caught at the wall to end the rally. — Matt Young, Chron, 8 Oct. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective When his parents find out, George's father comes up with a scheme to raise giant animals to get rich and end world hunger. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 17 Dec. 2020 The new facility will replace Gilchrist’s inpatient hospice center on Eutaw Street downtown, which has provided end-of-life care for city residents for over 30 years. — Angela Roberts, baltimoresun.com, 10 Nov. 2020 Brown has received a request to host a virtual Wisdom Sharing Night at the monthly meeting of the Minnesota Death Collaborative, an organization of end-of-life professionals. — Julie Kendrick Next Avenue, Star Tribune, 14 Oct. 2020 That’s despite the dramatic changes in ocean temperature and chemistry that accompanied the end-Permian mass extinction, which eliminated nearly all marine life. — Raleigh Mcelvery, Science | AAAS, 15 Sep. 2020 Several Democrats in the 2020 field prescribe a public option as either their end goal or, in the case of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, as part of a longer-term process to get to a Medicare For All system. — Ali Vitali, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2019 The Dodgers could very well end October with a World Series trophy. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, 3 Sep. 2019 Clemency reform wouldn’t totally end long prison sentences written into law, including mandatory minimums for drug offenses. — German Lopez, Vox, 20 June 2019 And their end goal is … the destruction of America as a whole. — CBS News, 20 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'end.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of end

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

History and Etymology for end

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

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Learn More About end

Dictionary Entries Near end

encyst

end

end-

Statistics for end

Last Updated

10 Oct 2021

Cite this Entry

“End.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/end. Accessed 17 Oct. 2021.

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More Definitions for end

end

noun

English Language Learners Definition of end

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a point that marks the limit of something : the point at which something no longer continues to happen or exist

: the last part of a story, movie, song, etc.

: the part at the edge or limit of an area

end

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of end (Entry 3 of 2)

: final entry 1

end

noun

\ ˈend

Kids Definition of end

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the part near the boundary of an area I live in the city's north end.

2 : the point where something stops or ceases to exist That's the end of the story.

3 : the first or last part of a thing She knotted the end of the rope.

4 : death sense 1, destruction "You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Harry Potter …"— J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

5 : purpose, goal

6 : a player in football positioned at the end of the line of scrimmage

7 : a part of an undertaking He kept his end of the agreement.

end

verb

ended; ending

Kids Definition of end (Entry 2 of 2)

: to bring or come to an end : stop, finish I wish vacation would never end. He ended the discussion.

end up

: to reach or come to a place, condition, or situation unexpectedly "… unless you make a deal with his dad, you're going to end up with nothing …"— Andrew Clements, Frindle