final

adjective

fi·nal | \ ˈfī-nᵊl

Definition of final

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

final

noun

Definition of final (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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

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

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Choose the Right Synonym for final

Adjective

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

Examples of final in a Sentence

Adjective

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.

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that the U.S. and China were in the final... — Ira Iosebashvili, WSJ, "Dollar Strengthens Slightly on Trade Hopes, Solid U.S. Data," 4 Mar. 2019 Palm Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday because the passion narrative, a name for the final acts and suffering of Jesus, is recounted on this day. — Woman's Day Staff, Woman's Day, "When Is Palm Sunday? Here's Everything You Need to Know," 4 Mar. 2019 While Brits are still waiting to watch season three of Victoria, the final episode airs this weekend in the United States. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Victoria Season 4: Will the TV Drama About Queen Victoria's Early Reign Return for Another Season?," 3 Mar. 2019 Once the rebar is worked into the designer shapes, millwork, kiln cast glass, marble, leather, and final details are added to finish off the design. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "A Bold and Sculptural New Furniture Collection Inspired by the Basics," 26 Feb. 2019 Ford forbid me from photographing the inside of the vehicle, because the design around the user experience wasn’t final. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "Ford’s self-driving cars are really good, but are they good enough to win?," 15 Nov. 2018 Tom revealed that the two see each other pretty often since filming on the final movie has wrapped. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "Are “Harry Potter” Co-Stars Emma Watson and Tom Felton Really Dating?!," 19 Feb. 2019 The clue lies in how Insider Build 18323, released Thursday evening, is defined as the release branch of Windows 10—a near-final, bug-bashing development stage. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Windows 10's April 2019 Update should be as straightforward as its name," 25 Jan. 2019 But then came the final scene of the fall finale: An older man with a stack of mail address to Nicholas Pearson. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'This Is Us' Fan Theory About Nicky Pearson Is Extremely Dark," 28 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Williams missed four straight major tournaments because of her pregnancy and the 2017 birth of her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Despite her age and a difficult recovery, Williams reached finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year. — Tom Perrotta, WSJ, "Serena Williams Stumbles in Stunning Loss at the Australian Open," 23 Jan. 2019 The Broncos were on their way to Game 5 of the semi-finals against the Nipawin Hawks. — Fox News, "Crash of hockey team's bus leaves at least 15 dead, town devastated," 2 Oct. 2018 On Wednesday night, the English soccer team was beaten by Croatia in the semi-finals of the World Cup. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "A Very British Protest," 13 July 2018 Add to the mix that England lost to Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night, and the nation was suffering from a collective hang-over, and not the good kind. — William Booth And Karla Adam, Washington Post, "‘I think they like me a lot in the U.K.,’ Trump says, as he faces mass protests in Britain," 12 July 2018 With England now into the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 1990, fans are celebrating their nation’s success in the sport born in their country but long mastered by foreigners. — Billy Perrigo, Time, "Why Do Americans Call It Soccer Instead of Football? Blame England," 11 July 2018 If Russia and England win their next matches, the two teams could face each other in next week’s semi-finals. — Jane Onyanga-omara, USA TODAY, "Russia denies involvement in new UK nerve agent poisoning," 5 July 2018 That could mean that no bets would be placed for the World Cup semi-finals, the closing stages of one of the world’s most popular sporting events. — Max Cohen, Philly.com, "Worried about a potential New Jersey government shutdown? Here are eight ways you would be affected," 26 June 2018 Junior Lindsey Garcia added two hits and her 48th RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly to help Coral Springs Charter reach the finals. — Gary Curreri, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Coral Springs Charter girls leave paw prints on state softball diamond," 3 June 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.

History and Etymology for final

Adjective

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 -al entry 1

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 fix entry 1), 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 bone entry 1); 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.

Noun

derivative of final entry 1

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Last Updated

13 Mar 2019

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The first known use of final was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for final

final

noun

English Language Learners Definition of final

: the last competition (such as a game or race) or set of competitions in a series

: the examinations that happen at the end of a class, term, or course of study

US : an examination at the end of a class

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

final

adjective

fi·nal | \ ˈfī-nᵊl

Kids Definition of final

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : coming or happening at the end final exams

2 : not to be changed The decision of the judges is final.

final

noun

Kids Definition of final (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the last match or game of a tournament

2 : a final examination in a course

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 a final payment