final

adjective fi·nal \ ˈfī-nᵊl \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: final in a Sentence

Definition of final

1 a : not to be altered or undone

all sales are final

b : of or relating to a concluding court action or proceeding

final decree

2 : coming at the end : being the last in a series, process, or progress

the final chapter

final exams

3 : of or relating to the ultimate purpose or result of a process

our final goal

the final product

—

finally

play \ˈfī-nᵊl-ē, ˈfīn-lē\ adverb

See final defined for English-language learners

See final defined for kids

Examples of final in a Sentence

the final act of the play
They won their final four games.
in the final minutes of the game
Our last stop was Bangkok, but our final destination is Tokyo.
The plans are undergoing final review.
What was the final score?
The final product was not what we had expected.

Recent Examples of final from the Web

In his final two seasons at North Crowley, Kevin averaged 18 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

— peter dawson, star-telegram, "First family of Fort Worth basketball still shining after careers at TCU, Kansas," 12 July 2018
With Maslany's nomination for Orphan Black's final season, the Clone Club (the name of Orphan Black's fan base) has something to root for.

— kathryn lindsay, refinery29.com, "Sandra Oh Just Made History For Killing Eve, But The Emmys Forgot One Thing," 12 July 2018
Even though his sale of the Panthers is final, Jerry Richardson's likeness will linger—in the form of his massive statue, which will, in fact, remain in front of the stadium.

— jonathan jones, SI.com, "Jerry Richardson's Hubris Remains Immortalized in His Statue," 10 July 2018
The final Free Community Meal will be at the Free Neighborhood Picnic at 12:30 p.m. July 15.

— staff report, Daily Southtown, "Church news," 10 July 2018
Gennett made his biggest adjustment at the plate in one of his final seasons with the Brewers.

— bobby nightengale, Cincinnati.com, "How Scooter Gennett transformed from a Cincinnati Reds waiver claim into an All-Star," 10 July 2018
With this likely being Lamar Miller’s final season in Houston, the torch will be passed to the former Texas Longhorn.

— steven ruiz, For The Win, "10 fantasy football sleepers we're irrationally excited about in 2018," 10 July 2018
The three-time conference Player of the Year, averaged 23 points or more each of her final three seasons.

— jr radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The two-timers club: A look at athletes named All-Suburban Player of the Year multiple times," 10 July 2018
Decisions to disallow a ballot must be unanimous and are final.

— kate magill, Howard County Times, "Howard council incumbent seeks recount after two-vote loss," 9 July 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of final

Middle English, "pertaining to an end or conclusion, effecting a close, ultimate, conclusive," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin fīnālis "last, at the end, ultimate," going back to Latin, "of boundaries," from fīnis "boundary, limit, terminal point, ending" (of uncertain origin) + -ālis ¹-al

Note: According to an older hypothesis, fīnis goes back to *fig-sn-is, a derivative from the base of fīgere "to drive in, insert, fasten" (see ¹fix), assuming that the word originally referred to some sort of boundary marker fixed to a tree or driven into the ground. A more recent suggestion sees fīnis going back to *bhiH-n-i, a derivative of an Indo-European verbal base *bhei̯H- "strike, break," seen also in an o-grade derivative *bhoi̯H-n-o-, whence Germanic *baina- "bone" and "straight" (in Old Norse beinn "straight"; see ¹bone); in this case fīnis would have referred originally to an upright branch or stake used to mark boundaries. Both hypotheses are in the end speculative, as the semantic prehistory of fīnis in Latin is unknown.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

final Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of final

last, final, terminal, ultimate mean following all others (as in time, order, or importance). last applies to something that comes at the end of a series but does not always imply that the series is completed or stopped.

- last page of a book
- last news we had of him

final applies to that which definitely closes a series, process, or progress.

- final day of school

terminal may indicate a limit of extension, growth, or development.

- terminal phase of a disease

ultimate implies the last degree or stage of a long process beyond which further progress or change is impossible.

- the ultimate collapse of the system

final

noun

Definition of final

: something that is final: such as

a : a deciding match, game, heat, or trial —usually used in plural

b : the last examination in a course —often used in plural

See final defined for English-language learners

Examples of final in a Sentence

He failed his history finals.
He failed his history final.

Recent Examples of final from the Web

Messi hasn’t won a senior title with his nation, losing finals at the 2014 World Cup, and the 2007, ‘15 and ‘16 Copa Americas, the last when Messi failed on his penalty kick during a shootout.

— Washington Post, "Messi and Ronaldo exit World Cup without titles," 30 June 2018
The Houston Rockets, meanwhile, are widely expected to simply focus on re-signing their free agents Paul and Clint Capela in hopes of bringing back essentially the same team that fell just one win short of an N.B.A. finals berth.

— marc stein, New York Times, "The N.B.A. Has the Hottest Stove. LeBron James Is the Flame.," 30 June 2018
The finals will be held at Mount Pleasant Golf Course on July 15.

— baltimoresun.com, "Digest (June 29): Baltimore golf courses hosting match play tournament," 30 June 2018
Messi hasn't won a senior title with his nation, losing finals at the 2014 World Cup, and the 2007, '15 and '16 Copa Americas, the last when Messi failed on his penalty kick during a shootout.

— ronald blum, Houston Chronicle, "Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo exit World Cup without titles," 30 June 2018
The inaugural competition features five rounds of perform-ances, with semifinals on July 13 and finals July 14.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Five things to do around Greater Boston, July 2-15," 29 June 2018
Since the start of the games, each Shabbat has seen hundreds join for big Shabbat meals, and more than 1,000 are expected for the Shabbat before the finals.

— dovid margolin, Jewish Journal, "They came for the World Cup and stayed for Shabbat," 28 June 2018
The Oceanside competition starts at noon with the finals slated for 6 p.m. Admission is $10.

— john maffei, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Notebook: Ray Johnson hired to coach JBA team in Dallas," 27 June 2018
Minutes remained before the finals portion of the competition.

— kyle stackpole, Howard County Times, "Sydney Robinson sprints towards girls outdoor track and field Athlete of the Year honors," 26 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of final

derivative of ¹final

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1609

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

FINAL Defined for English Language Learners

final

noun

Definition of final for English Language Learners

: the last competition (such as a game or race) or set of competitions in a series
finals : the examinations that happen at the end of a class, term, or course of study
: an examination at the end of a class

FINAL Defined for Kids

final

adjective fi·nal \ ˈfī-nᵊl \

Definition of final for Students

1 : coming or happening at the end

final exams

2 : not to be changed

The decision of the judges is final.

—

finally

adverb

Word Root of final

The Latin word finis, meaning “end” or “boundary,” gives us the root fin. Words from the Latin finis have something to do with ends or limits. Something final, such as the last chapter in a book, is the ending one. To confine is to put limits or boundaries around something. To finish something is to come to its end. Something finite has limits and happens only for a certain amount of time or in a certain space before it ends.

final

noun

Definition of final for Students

1 : the last match or game of a tournament

2 : a final examination in a course

Law Dictionary

final

adjective fi·nal

legal Definition of final

1 : ending a court action or proceeding leaving nothing further to be determined by the court or to be done except execution of the judgment but not precluding appeal —used of an order, decision, judgment, decree, determination, or sentence — see also finality, final judgment rule — compare interlocutory

2 : being a decision that precludes the right to appeal or to continue a case in any other court upon the merits: as

a : being a decision for which availability of appeal has been exhausted and concerning which a writ of certiorari has been denied or the time to petition for certiorari has expired

b : being a decision of the Supreme Court of the U.S. that terminates the litigation between parties on the merits and leaves nothing for the lower court to do in case of an affirmance except to execute the judgment

3 : being the last in a series, process, or progress