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

Other Words from end Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Phrases Containing end Learn More About 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 See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun To that end, MacIver weighed in to recommend a story pitched by Burgess on May 5, 2020. — Sarah Blaskey Mcclatchy Washington Bureau (tns), al, 26 July 2022 To that end, storytelling has emerged as an essential skill, even table stakes, for business leaders. — Jim Deloach, Forbes, 25 July 2022 To that end, St. George leaders are proposing to hike property taxes to bolster public safety in the fast-growing city. — Mark Eddington, The Salt Lake Tribune, 25 July 2022 To that end, the super senior from Burbank joined wide receiver teammates Jesse Matthews and Tyrell Shavers doing some private workouts that focused on plyometrics. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 July 2022 To that end, Siegel has just unveiled a plan to launch a new annual series of high-quality meets in the United States starting next year. — Martin Fritz Huber, Outside Online, 23 July 2022 To that end, an all-hands-on-deck effort to maximize the benefits of these regulations for all Americans is necessary. — Seema Verma, STAT, 23 July 2022 To that end, coaching staffs featuring some recognizable names in pro football have been put together and rosters need to be filled via a draft in the fall and potentially, players released from NFL training camps this summer. — José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 23 July 2022 To that end, Ridloff is striving to bring in deaf talent throughout the creative process. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 July 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Mega Millions drawings are Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Ticket sales end at 10:45 p.m. in Kentucky and Indiana. — Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 28 July 2022 The official arbiter of when recessions begin and end is the Business Cycle Dating Committee, which is part of the National Bureau of Economic Research. — Allan Sloan, Washington Post, 27 July 2022 For now, the racers have several days left before reaching the final stages, which will be held in the Vosges Mountains and will end with a painful climb up La Super Planche des Belles Filles, a summit that is at times included in the men’s Tour. — New York Times, 27 July 2022 On Only Murders in the Building, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are in a battle of crime podcasts with Only Murderers in the Building host Cinda Canning, played by Tina Fey, and end up on a stakeout trying to prove their innocence. — Ew Staff, EW.com, 26 July 2022 Construction is expected to continue for another three months or so and end this fall, according to city Engineer Justin Haselton. — Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 26 July 2022 Here are six ways to help CFOs sharpen their storytelling—and just as important, their responses to the questions stakeholders ask about their stories: Start and end with the story. — Jim Deloach, Forbes, 25 July 2022 Now, the question remains whether Three Arrows’ founders, Su Zhu and Kyle Davies, and Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky will be held accountable—and end up repaying investors who were victims of their companies’ collapse. — Taylor Locke, Fortune, 22 July 2022 The parade will start on North Main Street in Moosup and will end at the American Legion Post 91. — Hartford Courant, 21 July 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective These conclusively tied the Siberian flood basalts to the end-Permian mass extinction, a key result for both biology and geology. — Howard Lee, Ars Technica, 2 July 2022 Sedimentologist Christopher Fielding of the University of Connecticut, one of our longtime colleagues, had recently identified these rocks as river and lake sediments deposited during the end-Permian event. — Chris Mays, Scientific American, 23 June 2022 But Heller and McDonald do not support applying means-end scrutiny in the Second Amendment context. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, 23 June 2022 Another helpful metric to track during the digital journey is one that is very end-of-funnel-centric. — Ashlee Piga, Forbes, 14 Apr. 2022 The response: The invasion of Ukraine is bringing to an end Western investment in Russia. — Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2022 This is just before the end-Permian extinction event. — Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 23 Feb. 2022 Curling: Four years after losing in the Pyeongchang final to American upstart John Shuster, Niklas Edin led Sweden to the gold medal, beating Britain 5-4 in the first extra-end men’s final in Olympic history. — San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Feb. 2022 The sale is especially great for travelers who haven't booked end-of-year trips—or are looking to gift a stay to a friend. — Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Nov. 2021 See More

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

Learn More About end

Dictionary Entries Near end

encyst

end

end-

Statistics for end

Last Updated

30 Jul 2022

Cite this Entry

“End.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/end. Accessed 9 Aug. 2022.

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More Definitions for end

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