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

In the final step, the bacteria swallow up the phenylacetic acid as an energy source. — Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, "Bacteria That Eat Drugs Could Help Solve the Antibiotic Resistance Crisis," 8 Nov. 2018 Amazon is reportedly close to announcing its final decision, and while Washington DC has been rumored to be a frontrunner, Northern Virginia’s Crystal City located just minutes away. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Amazon is reportedly in ‘advanced discussions’ to locate its HQ2 in Northern Virginia," 3 Nov. 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tour of the Oceania region is a whirlwind, even in its final hours. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Chose a Navy Midi Dress by Stella McCartney on Her Final Day in New Zealand," 30 Oct. 2018 Verizon showed off the achievement with a frustratingly terrible picture, which seems carefully shot to prevent any glimpse of the 5G Moto Mod (or whatever prototype of the final product the company is using). — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "Verizon says it successfully tested 5G on the Moto Z3," 14 Nov. 2018 Both studios are known for making niche games on small budgets, with plenty of delays and often a ton of bugs at release—a sign that the final product was probably rushed out the door. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Microsoft acquires CRPG heavyweights Obsidian and InXile," 10 Nov. 2018 The lead could also be added intentionally at some point to increase the weight (and therefore the sale value) of the final product. — Cathleen O'grady, Ars Technica, "As if heroin weren’t dangerous enough, it may come with lead poisoning," 9 Nov. 2018 The Trump administration has already sought to have the issue reviewed by the Supreme Court, which typically prefers to have the final say when a government program or major executive action is invalidated by a lower court. — Brent Kendall, WSJ, "Appeals Court Rules Against Trump on Canceling DACA Protections," 8 Nov. 2018 The company approves and touches up the listing for each item, handles shipping details, and pays the seller at least 80 percent of the final sale price. — Jenny Xie, Curbed, "Best apps and sites for selling used home goods," 8 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Some even added that Brooks should pen a song whether Ketterer makes it to the finals or not. — Eileen Reslen, Country Living, "'AGT' Judge Simon Cowell Makes a Plea to Garth Brooks to Write a Song for This Contestant," 5 Sep. 2018 Russia were surprise underdogs and made it all the way to the quarter finals before being knocked out by a brilliant Croatian side. — SI.com, "Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus Transfer Could Ruin Arsenal & Chelsea's Plans to Sign WC Breakout Star," 13 July 2018 During Monday’s semifinal match, France knocked out Belgium to make it to the finals, and England is set to play Croatia on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET. — Sarah Gray, Fortune, "Fox Sports Says the 2018 World Cup Brought in Plenty of Ad Dollars—Despite a Rocky Ratings Start," 11 July 2018 This year, for the first time, Chicago’s GAA has no hurling teams, but Redmond said its one camogie club will travel to Midwestern tournaments this summer and to the finals in Philadelphia on Labor Day weekend. — Susan Demar Lafferty, Daily Southtown, "'Five times faster than soccer': Irish football draws fans of Old World sport to Oak Forest," 9 July 2018 The 4x200 team, which broke a school record, advanced to the regional finals but did not advance to state. — Melanie Laughman, Cincinnati.com, "Photographs and memories: Mother of Mercy's final athletic year, 2017-2018," 2 July 2018 Those who are tired of the Golden State Warriors The Warriors superteam has owned the Western Conference -- and the NBA -- over the last four seasons, advancing to the NBA finals each season and winning the championship three times. — Justin Sayers, The Courier-Journal, "Here are the winners (and losers) after LeBron James' Lakers contract," 2 July 2018 O’Hara was eliminated, with Michaels advancing to the finals. — Patrick Crowley, Billboard, "'RuPaul's Drag Race': 5 Memorable Moments From Season 10 Finale," 28 June 2018 Hartford made a run to the finals of the America East Tournament this past season. — courant.com, "Regional Digest: Bees Beat Blue Crabs In First Game Of Doubleheader," 20 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

4 Dec 2018

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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

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

: 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