How to Use be-all and end-all in a Sentence

be-all and end-all

noun
  • Check out our be-all and end-all list of 2019's back-to-school sales.
    Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 15 Aug. 2019
  • The big man was still the be-all and end-all in the NBA then, both for offense around the rim and defense of it.
    Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 16 July 2017
  • The point is that calories aren’t the be-all and end-all of nutrition.
    Kimberly Truong, SELF, 29 Jan. 2019
  • While DSLRs used to be the be-all and end-all of quality footage, that is no longer the case.
    Gabrielle Hondorp, Popular Mechanics, 25 June 2020
  • This was everything: truly the be-all and end-all of my life.
    Richard A. Lovett, Outside Online, 1 Sep. 2021
  • Love is framed as the be-all and end-all of human existence in books, films, TV shows and songs.
    Serena Smith, refinery29.com, 14 Dec. 2021
  • But for David, meeting Ina Garten, his culinary hero, was his be-all and end-all.
    Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 7 May 2018
  • But professionals agree that the quality of your voice is not the be-all and end-all.
    Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2021
  • In recent decades, the skiwear industry has preached that high-tech synthetics are the be-all and end-all.
    Todd Plummer, WSJ, 4 Feb. 2020
  • If being a faithful simulation is the be-all and end-all of it, then how do consumer games compare to the real thing?
    Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 9 Aug. 2018
  • But at the same time, prices and efficiency shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all of governmental policy.
    Isaac Chotiner, Slate Magazine, 5 Oct. 2017
  • Westeros fans should rest assured that House of the Dragon is not necessarily the be-all and end-all of Game of Thrones spin-offs.
    Christian Holub, EW.com, 1 Dec. 2021
  • The label was the be-all and end-all of the artist’s career, deciding everything from marketing budgets to video sets and tour dates.
    Tony M Fountain, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2021
  • In Trump’s worldview, winning is the be-all and end-all—for people and for nations—and anyone who says otherwise is either a dupe or a fraud.
    Tom McTague, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2021
  • Having several short conversations, rather than one be-all and end-all, is a good idea, too.
    Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2021
  • Strange that this needs to be said in 2019, but the standard playwright-director formula of regional theater isn’t the be-all and end-all.
    Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2019
  • Its hopes, as advertised, are to be the be-all and end-all for mid-sized, high-budget concert experiences in Denver.
    Dylan Owens, The Know, 8 Aug. 2019
  • If England win their round of 16 match against Cameroon on Sunday afternoon, the next match becomes everything, the most important, the be-all and end-all.
    SI.com, 23 June 2019
  • These research areas are not the be-all and end-all of a rejuvenated Alzheimer's science agenda.
    Kenneth S. Kosik, Scientific American, 20 Apr. 2020
  • Obviously, Broadway is not the be-all and end-all of American theater.
    New York Times, 5 July 2019
  • American multiplexes are no longer the be-all and end-all for Hollywood.
    Daniel Arkin /, NBC News, 30 Apr. 2018
  • Although Reagan was known for helping enact a huge tax cut at the beginning of his presidency, tax cuts were never the be-all and end-all of his tax policy, as is the case with Trump.
    Bruce Bartlett, The New Republic, 31 Aug. 2020
  • Artificial intelligence has long been touted as the be-all and end-all to solving problems in business and the global economy.
    Kevin Collins, Forbes, 7 Apr. 2021
  • However, Mourinho changed his mind just months later, citing signing a central defender as the be-all and end-all of United's problems.
    SI.com, 5 Sep. 2019
  • Though the actress has long been the be-all and end-all fitness inspiration for women across the globe, Berry no longer wants her lifestyle to be deemed unobtainable for the average, everyday woman.
    Bianca Betancourt, Harper's BAZAAR, 3 Mar. 2021
  • Because according to Byrdie, this concealer is Pinterest's most popular be-all and end-all.
    Rachel Nussbaum, Glamour, 25 Oct. 2017
  • Don’t let one path be your be-all and end-all.
    Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
  • For those whose work is their be-all and end-all, being let go can be earth-shattering.
    Byorianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2023
  • Deficit reduction was the be-all and end-all of fiscal policy.
    Martin Sullivan, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2022
  • Growth is the be-all and end-all of mainstream economic and political thinking.
    David Marchesephoto Illustration By Bráulio Amado, New York Times, 17 July 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'be-all and end-all.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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