as in cause
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.
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Recent Examples of be-all and end-all
Although a loss to the Bills would drop those chances to 25 percent, the outcome of Thursday’s game is not the be-all and end-all.
—
Nicole Yang, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Nov. 2022
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
But companies should be wary of treating cyber insurance as the be-all and end-all of protection against attacks, Evans warns.
—Rishi Iyengar, CNN, 23 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for be-all and end-all
Nicole Yang, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Nov. 2022
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
But companies should be wary of treating cyber insurance as the be-all and end-all of protection against attacks, Evans warns.
—Rishi Iyengar, CNN, 23 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for be-all and end-all
Recent Examples of Synonyms for be-all and end-all
Noun
-
Suresh was a devoted pet mom and donated to animal causes, according to social media.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
12 June 2026
-
Investigators have not determined the man's cause of death, but say it was possibly related to a medical condition.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
That is the fundamental determinant of competitiveness.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
13 June 2026
-
In my own research on Ebola, SARS and MERS, my colleagues and I have shown that the speed at which infected people are identified and removed from the community is one of the strongest determinants of outbreak size.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Be-all and end-all.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/be-all%20and%20end-all. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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