variants
also dénouement
as in finale
formal
the final part of something (such as a book, a play, or a series of events)
In the play's denouement, the two lovers kill themselves. the competition's exciting denouement
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of denouement
Lambert gets the last word in the show… well, the last sung word, as Jesus’ crucifixion scene is pretty much the one time the rock opera gives way to a little speaking, following by the spooky instrumental denouement.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
A week after England won the UEFA Women’s Euro final, Brazil also retained their continental title in a dramatic denouement decided by a penalty shoot-out.
—Asif Burhan, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025
The intrigue and pursuit pull them across multiple, glamorous European locations to an unexpected denouement in Montenegro.
—The Know, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 2025
The crises of the 1970s—the oil shock, the Watergate scandal, and the bloody denouement of the Vietnam War—would take their toll on philanthropies along with other liberal institutions.
—Mark Malloch-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for denouement
Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
A week after England won the UEFA Women’s Euro final, Brazil also retained their continental title in a dramatic denouement decided by a penalty shoot-out.
—Asif Burhan, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025
The intrigue and pursuit pull them across multiple, glamorous European locations to an unexpected denouement in Montenegro.
—The Know, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 2025
The crises of the 1970s—the oil shock, the Watergate scandal, and the bloody denouement of the Vietnam War—would take their toll on philanthropies along with other liberal institutions.
—Mark Malloch-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 15 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for denouement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for denouement
Noun
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What happened on the season finale of 'Big Brother 27'?—
David Wysong,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
29 Sep. 2025
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Another plot thread to look forward to is that of Schumacher’s Yancy Grey’s wife’s surprise arrival in Ransom Canyon in the Season 1 finale.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With the ending of placements at the Civic and city-funded rooms in other CoLEAD shelters, safety ambassadors who were paid to quell the violence on Third Avenue turned to other shelter organizations.—
Ashley Hiruko,
ProPublica,
6 Oct. 2025
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Safdie only made slight changes to the ending, like adding a conversation Kerr has with a doctor after the loss.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Just two years after Riverdale came to its dramatic conclusion, Archie Andrews is plotting his return to television screens once again — and, this time around, things are about to get a whole lot spookier.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
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The authors reached their conclusions after analyzing data from the Trøndelag Health Study.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Freakier Friday, the two-decades-in-the-making sequel to 2003’s Freaky Friday, reunites Lohan with Jamie Lee Curtis as her mom Tess and introduces a double-body-swap plot line that sees Lohan switching places with Butters as her teen daughter.—
Katie Atkinson,
Billboard,
2 Oct. 2025
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The sequel isn't as good, but if that scratchy footage — or the demon Bughuul — freaked you out on the first round, there's plenty more on display here.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The data track earlier indications based on calls to Wisconsin's 211 helpline in the early aftermath of the storm.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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First and foremost will be the aftermath of the messy business involving Gibbs, Franks, Lala, and the murder of Pedro Hernandez.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Not since John Cazale made The Godfather Part II (1974), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and The Deer Hunter (1978) in sequence has a five-year stretch of acting been quite so bracing.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
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Then, later in October, several sequences of an unspecified movie will be filmed there.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Denouement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/denouement. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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