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

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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

Neil's Recommendations for Color-Correcters Neil's Recommendations for Concealer The final step is using a setting powder or spray so that the makeup won't transfer to your clothes, Neil says. — Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, "Do Hickeys Hurt?," 3 May 2019 From Century City high-rises to Manhattan Beach homes, Caitlin's diverse portfolio helped guide her throughout the challenge, with a final product that speaks for itself. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "See the Dramatic Reveal from the Best Room Wins Series Premiere," 2 May 2019 The final season of the hit HBO series is less than a month away, so the joint cover comes at a perfect time. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Game of Thrones Stars Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner Look So Different on the Cover of Rolling Stone," 27 Mar. 2019 And their word is pretty much final, since Elizabeth and Charles will be jointly funding the office. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Asked for Independence and the Queen Said No," 17 Mar. 2019 The final words—congratulations—go to Hussein Chalayan, hero of the '90s, who is very much in operation, selling his super-interesting clothes 25 years later. — Sarah Mower, Vogue, "The Top 10 Shows of London Fashion Week Fall 2019," 20 Feb. 2019 There's no final word yet on the exact guest list for the second baby shower. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle Is Reportedly Having a Second Baby Shower," 20 Feb. 2019 Musical artists and audience members alike returned to the Indio, California festival on Friday, April 19 for the second and final weekend of Coachella, and there were certainly some looks to remember. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Kacey Musgraves, Tierra Whack, and More Coachella 2019 Weekend 2 Best Celebrity Looks," 21 Apr. 2019 That Tuesday, the show had been locked, all changes final, no more rewrites allowed for Mitchell, the songwriter who, yes, has been rewriting since 2006 this musical about a songwriter who can’t finish his song. — Robert Sullivan, Vogue, "Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell’s Musical Where Work Is Hell, Makes It to the Big Time," 19 Apr. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But this win in a thrilling match played at the Johan Cruyff Arena on the third anniversary of the Dutch great’s death gives Germany a strong start in qualifying for the Euro 2020 finals. — Mike Corder, The Seattle Times, "Schulz grabs late winner as Germany beats Netherlands 3-2," 24 Mar. 2019 England have failed to qualify for the finals on three occasions, in 1974, 1978 and 1994. — Nihal Kolur, SI.com, "Has England Ever Won the World Cup?," 11 July 2018 Even though the squad included 10 girls, only three qualified for the county finals. — Gary Curreri, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Lady Cougars make history with first middle school track and field title," 24 June 2018 At the start of the film, their team has just won a playoff match and qualified for the next weekend's finals. — Julia Felsenthal, Vogue, "En el Séptimo Día," 8 June 2018 But after the team qualifies for the finals, José learns that Steve (Christopher Gabriel Núñez), his boss at a Mexican restaurant, needs him to work the Sunday of the game. — Jim Mckay, New York Times, "Review: In ‘En el Séptimo Día,’ He Wants to Work and Play. What Will He Do?," 7 June 2018 But the Red Wings didn’t qualify for the finals this year, which bodes well for front runners Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, Flint Powers Catholic and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood. — Tom Lang, Detroit Free Press, "Anchor Bay, L'Anse Creuse qualify for state golf amid controversy," 7 June 2018 Marquette freshman Rose Pastoret never really expected to qualify for the individual state finals. — John O'malley, Post-Tribune, "Quick learner: Marquette freshman Rose Pastoret exceeds expectations to reach state tennis finals," 6 June 2018 After these rounds, based on a score on the multiple-choice test, the bee whittles down the competition to no more than 50 spellers for the finals. — Alex Abad-santos, Vox, "Feldenkrais! Scherenschnitte! The 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee is here!," 30 May 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

8 May 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