end

1 the stopping of a process or activity the end of hostilities brought general rejoicing Synonyms arrest, arrestment, cease, cessation, check, close, closedown, closure, conclusion, cutoff, discontinuance, discontinuation, ending, expiration, finish, halt, lapse, offset, shutdown, shutoff, stay, stop, stoppage, surcease, termination Related Words mop-up, phaseout; abeyance, break, interruption, layoff, letup, moratorium, pause, standstill, suspension Near Antonyms extension, persistence, prolongation Antonyms continuance, continuation

2 a real or imaginary point beyond which a person or thing cannot go I'm at the end of my patience with these little brats Synonyms bound, boundary, cap, ceiling, confines, limit, extent, limitation, line, terminationRelated Words extremity, fag end, terminus; border, brim, edge, margin, rim, verge; outside; bar, barrier, fence, hedge, restraint, stop, wall

3 an unused or unwanted piece or item typically of small size or value a couple of ends of wallpaper were all that was left after we finished papering the room Synonyms scrap, fag end, leftover, oddment, remainder, remnant, stubRelated Words leavings, odds and ends, pickings, refuse, remains, residual, residue, scraping(s), stump, vestige; balance, rest; chip, flake, fragment, piece, sliver, splinter; ribbon(s), shred, tatterNear Antonyms whole

4 something that one hopes or intends to accomplish in this case the ends definitely do not justify the means Synonyms aim, ambition, aspiration, bourne (also bourn), design, dream, goal, idea, ideal, intent, intention, mark, meaning, object, objective, plan, point, pretension, purpose, target, thingRelated Words grail, holy grail; plot, project, scheme; desire, hope, mind, wish; nirvana; destination, terminusNear Antonyms means, method, way

5 the last and usually sharp or tapering part of something long and narrow a child's pair of scissors with blunt ends Synonyms apex, cusp, point, nib, nose, pike, tipRelated Words pinpoint; prong, tine; barb, jag, prickle, snag, spike, sticker

6 the last part of a process or action the war wasn't yet over, but we were definitely at the beginning of the end Synonyms capper, close, closing, conclusion, consummation, finale, endgame, ending, finis, finish, grand finale, home stretch, mop-up, windup, wrap-upRelated Words acme, apex, capstone, climax, copestone, coup de grâce (or coup de grace), crescendo, crown, culmination, high-water mark, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, tip-top, top, zenith; aftermath, anticlimax, coda, epilogue (also epilog), postscript; shank, tag end, tail endNear Antonyms foreword, introduction, overture, preamble, preface, prelude, prologue (also prolog)Antonyms baseline, beginning, dawn, day one, nascence, nascency, opening, start

7 the line or relatively narrow space that marks the outer limit of something the ends of his shirt cuffs were badly frayed Synonyms borderline, bound, boundary, brim, circumference, compass, confines, edge, edging, border, frame, fringe, hem, margin, perimeter, periphery, rim, skirt, skirting, vergeRelated Words ambit; brink, crest, curb, cusp, lip; ceiling, maximum; demarcation, extent, limitation, measure, mere, restriction, termination; borderland, frontier, march, outskirts, pale, selvage; lap; shoreNear Antonyms center, core, heart; inner, inside, interior, middle, within

8 the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities Henry Hudson and eight others were set adrift in the bay in a small boat, and how they met their end is unknown Synonyms curtains, decease, demise, dissolution, doom, death, exit, expiration, expiry, fate, grave, great divide, passage, passing, quietus, sleepRelated Words casualty, fatality; martyrdom, self-destruction, self-murder, self-slaughter, suicide; annihilation, destruction, ending, extermination, ruin; assassination, execution, killing, massacre, slaughterNear Antonyms existence, life; creation, genesis, origination, riseAntonyms birth, nativity

9 something belonging to, due to, or contributed by an individual member of a group keep up your end of the bargain Synonyms allotment, allowance, cut, share, part, piece, portion, proportion, quota, slice, takeRelated Words lot, ration; commission, percentage; member, partition, section, segmentNear Antonyms aggregate, composite, compound, pool, sum, total, totality; whole

1 to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point let's end the meeting with a short prayer Synonyms close out, complete, conclude, close, finish, round (off or out), terminate, wind up, wrap upRelated Words climax, crown; consummate, perfect; halt, stop, suspendAntonyms begin, commence, inaugurate, open, start

2 to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end unfortunately, an argument ended their date, and they're still not speaking to each other Synonyms break, break off, break up, can [slang], cease, cut off, cut out, desist (from), discontinue, drop, stop, give over, halt, knock off, lay off, leave off, pack (up or in), quit, shut offRelated Words complete, conclude, finish; close (down); deactivate; block, blockade, dam, delay, detain, hinder, hold, hold back, impede, kibosh, obstruct, stem; call, suspend; arrest, brake, check, clamp down, rein (in), squash, squelch, stamp, stanch (or staunch), stunt, suppress, turn back; pause, stay, suspend; abolish, abort, annul, demolish, destroy, dissolve, kill, ruin, scuttle, snuffNear Antonyms carry on, continue, follow through (with), keep up, run on; advance, proceed, progress; actuate, drive, impel, propel, stir

3 to come to an end a book so good that you hate to see it end Synonyms break off, break up, close, conclude, dead-end, determine, die, discontinue, elapse, cease, expire, finish, go, halt, lapse, leave off, let up, pass, quit, stop, terminate, wind up, wink (out)Related Words desist (from), lay off (of), refrain (from); give over [British], knock off, pack (up or in); break down, conk (out), cut out, stall; pause, stay, suspend; abate, peter (out), wind downNear Antonyms draw out, extend, prolong, protractAntonyms continue, hang on, persist

4 to stop living a great general, who ended on the field of battle Synonyms check out, conk (out), croak [slang], decease, demise, depart, drop, die, exit, expire, fall, flatline, go, kick in [slang], kick off [slang], pass (on), pass away, part, peg out [chiefly British], perish, pop off, step out, succumbRelated Words predecease; consume, disappear, dry up, fade, failNear Antonyms come to, revive; linger; be, exist, subsist; flourish, prosper, thriveAntonyms breathe, live