end

noun

\ 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

Other Words from end Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about end

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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

There are so many factors that affect the end result (air temperature, water temperature, oven temperature. . — Annemarie Conte, Woman's Day, "What We Learned After Baking Nothing But Bread for 3 Days," 9 Apr. 2019 This week, the countdown to the end of Game of Thrones got real when the cast gathered in New York City for the show's final red carpet premiere. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas Pose for an "Awkward" Picture with Joffrey from 'Game of Thrones'," 6 Apr. 2019 With a generous dollop of Crème PIGM 400 (that my skin greedily drank up) and a dab of Biokiss on the lips, my treatment sadly came to an end. — Samantha Tse, Allure, "I Went to the Champagne Region in France to Get a Facial and My Skin Has Never Looked Better," 26 Mar. 2019 Pick a spirited flick like 1963’s Palm Springs Weekend to play on the projector, and wheel in the bar cart to keep the cocktails coming until the end credits roll. — Heather Corcoran, ELLE Decor, "How to Bring Old Hollywood Into Your Home," 19 Mar. 2019 Take a length of wire and tie a weight to each end. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "The surprising science of why ice is so slippery," 31 Jan. 2019 For years, Democrats have proposed this as a way to make Washington’s regressive tax system more fair and capture revenue from high-end earners, such as in the high-tech sector. — Joseph O’sullivan, The Seattle Times, "House Democrats want capital-gains tax to help pay for $52.6 billion Washington budget plan," 26 Mar. 2019 But beyond the gorgeous bottles, high-end brands are also taking a spare-no-expense approach to formulating what goes into them to deliver results that are truly worth posting about. — Glamour, "Beauty Awards: The 17 Best Skin Care Products of 2019," 25 Mar. 2019 Alongside the existing Elfa closets (both the Classic and Décor lines), The Container Store is launching a new line called Avera, which will fall in the middle-to-higher-end price point. — Brittney Morgan, House Beautiful, "The Container Store's Launching A Whole New Way to Snag a Custom Closet," 21 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

At that time, Republicans could never agree on a new health care plan and the months-long exercise ended in failure when John McCain joined others in rejecting one last-ditch effort, dooming the years-long campaign to repeal and replace Obamacare. — Lisa Mascaro, The Seattle Times, "Senate GOP wary in Trump’s revived health care battle," 1 Apr. 2019 Legend has it that local fisherman liked to see the bright colors on their way into town, and the residents also use the bright paint to delineate where one property begins and ends. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "The 25 most colorful cities in the world," 19 Feb. 2019 Proof that films filled with heartwarming romance and charmingly predictable storylines don't end when the holidays do. — Mackenzie Dunn, Woman's Day, "'Winter Love Story' Actress Jen Lilley Reveals 6 Hallmark Movie Secrets," 18 Jan. 2019 What happened was the Great Recession, which started in late 2007 and officially ended in June 2009, though many Americans are still feeling its effects today. — Eliza Brooke, Vox, "How the Great Recession influenced a decade of design," 27 Dec. 2018 Since the hit show ended in 2011, the 26-year-old has gone through her fair share of hair transformations, none of which have resembled the signature style her former character rocked — until now, that is. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Miley Cyrus Reveals New Blonde Hair and Bangs Reminiscent of Her Hannah Montana Days," 29 Mar. 2019 All hope was not lost, though, as fate brought the couple together again when the two ended up in the same town at the same time. — Tamara Fuentes, Country Living, "Luke Bryan and His Wife Caroline Boyer Have the Most Relatable Love Story," 28 Mar. 2019 Justin and Hailey's whirlwind romance that ended in a courthouse wedding last fall left everyone like: 🤔🤔🤔. But, pregnancy could be the answer to quick nuptials. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "All the Signs That Hailey Baldwin is Pregnant with Justin Bieber’s Baby," 25 Mar. 2019 Shortly after Full House ended in 1995, the young actress turned to alcohol, ecstasy, cocaine, and methamphetamine. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "'Fuller House' Star Jodie Sweetin Shuts Down Instagram Follower Who Mocked Her Sobriety," 4 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

During all her struggles with end-stage kidney disease, Perry has managed to capture glimmers of hope. — Deanese Williams-harris, chicagotribune.com, "People are using social media to improve their odds of finding organ donors: 'Doing it can save my life'," 6 July 2018 Ealy, who has a played with the Carolina Panthers, New England Panthers and New York Jets since he was picked in the second round out of Missouri in 2014, can play both end spots and provide some reps inside, according to a source. — Clarence E. Hill Jr., star-telegram, "Cowboys add sixth bargain free agent, agree to 1-year deal with DE Kony Ealy | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 5 Apr. 2018 Inspiring creativity, innovation, problem solving, and teamwork in our students are end goals of our Makerspace areas throughout the District. — Shirley Macfarland, cleveland.com, "SouthPark Mall offers free retail space to local entrepreneurs: Strong Points," 23 Feb. 2018 After choosing the perfect name, D'Agostino's next step was determining whether her end goal was a storefront, or simply a pop-up/custom order kind of shop. — Julia Sayers, AL.com, "Meet the woman behind downtown Birmingham's most heavenly chocolates," 15 Dec. 2017 The source said that talks are advanced enough that something could be completed before the Winter Meetings end Thursday at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. — Zach Buchanan, Cincinnati.com, "Giants, Reds seriously discussing Billy Hamilton swap," 12 Dec. 2017 Friends End-of-Summer Warehouse Sale, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Friends of the Public Library Warehouse, 8456 Vine St., Hartwell. — Rasputin Todd, Cincinnati.com, "Things to do this week: Aug. 15-20," 15 Aug. 2017 About 15 minutes later, deputies say Simon’s car was captured on surveillance video driving to a dead end street near where East’s body was found. — David Harris, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Woman shot to death over drug debt, dumped in woods in Orange County, deputies say," 7 Aug. 2017 Some South End residents in Hartford are being evacuated because of a gas leak, a fire official said. — Christine Dempsey, courant.com, "Gas Leak Forces Evacuation In South End Of Hartford, Fire Official Says," 28 July 2017

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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Dictionary Entries near end

Statistics for end

Last Updated

15 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for end

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

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More Definitions for end

end

noun

English Language Learners Definition of end

: 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

See the full definition for end in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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, 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