as in causes
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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for be-all and end-alls
Noun
-
In an effort to conceal the causes of death, Sit impersonated the owners and had the dogs cremated, according to prosecutors.—
Seamus Bozeman
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026 -
Brendon's death was ruled to be of natural causes by the Putnam County Coroner's office in May.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Some count ratings or awards as determinants of quality, while count changes to policy and laws or special commissions of inquiry.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Be-all and end-alls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/be-all%20and%20end-alls. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
