the be-all and end-all

noun phrase

: the most important part of something or the reason for something
He acts as if making money is the be-all and end-all of human existence.

Examples of the be-all and end-all in a Sentence

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Although Smith’s 3-point shooting won’t be the be-all and end-all for Houston, there will be moments when the Rockets have to take advantage of defenses selling out to slow down their best players. William Guillory, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025 Now that Swift is the be-all and end-all of pop, are those days gone? Bianca Davino, Refinery29, 7 Oct. 2025 Not that that’s the be-all and end-all. Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025 After all, the be-all and end-all of this experiment was to see what resonated. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2025 In Nassib's case, though, football wasn't the be-all and end-all. Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025 Medications are not the be-all and end-all solutions. Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025 Remind Them Prom Doesn’t Define Them Many teens think of prom as the be-all and end-all experience of their high school career. ​wendy Wisner, Parents, 5 May 2025 Google Search isn’t the be-all and end-all anymore, so Google SEO alone is too limiting. Nancy Marshall, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“The be-all and end-all.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20be-all%20and%20end-all. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

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