endings

noun

plural of ending
1
as in finales
the last part of a process or action the plagiarism scandal was a disgraceful ending to a once-promising academic career

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cessations
the stopping of a process or activity the best part about any dental procedure is its ending

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of endings Instead, as far as endings for superhero stories go, Episode 8 has a lot of chatter. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026 All That Jazz is one of my favorite endings to a movie of all time. — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026 Clue hit theaters in 1985 with three distinct endings but didn’t find success until it was released on VHS with all three endings spliced together. — Air Mail, 19 Sep. 2026 In non-linear lyric forms, the following collections braid love’s ruthless endings with its tenderest beginnings. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026 This joins the list of the sport’s most controversial endings ever, including other clock mishaps. — Jason Kirk, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 For those who haven’t seen the only good movie based on a board game (sorry, Battleship), Clue has multiple endings in order to simulate the repeatability of the game. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026 It’s been a summer of endings and beginnings for Tom Colicchio. — Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026 Our brains hold onto beginnings and endings and lose the middle. — James Glover, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for endings
  1. finales
  2. cessations
  3. conclusions
  4. ends
  5. culminations
  6. halts
  7. closings
  8. closures
Noun
  • The show can also boast one of the more memorable series finales in TV history.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026
  • At least one show is coming to an end this week, after some big finales last weekend.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of finales
Noun
  • Temporary cessations of hostility, but no permanent closing of the moral and social divide between debtor and creditor, and no giving up on the thought that some lives matter more than others.
    — Henry Freedland, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of cessations
Noun
  • The most justifiable criticism against the DC detective series is that its mysteries play out wordily, without letting the audience in on how its space cops come to major conclusions.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The expert stressed that the team's field work was complete but that laboratory analysis was still underway before broader conclusions could be drawn.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of conclusions
Noun
  • The ends flitted out and folded centimeters above her brows, blending between the relaxed waves that moved over her shoulders.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The increase comes when gas prices typically begin to decline as summer driving season ends and refineries switch to cheaper winter-blend gasoline.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of ends
Noun
  • Lunar eclipses, on the other hand, tend to coincide with powerful culminations, emotional revelations and the release of something that’s reached its natural conclusion.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026
  • Full moons are culminations — don’t forget to pause and see what’s already come full circle before rushing into more.
    — Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 28 Nov. 2025
Definition of culminations
Noun
  • That was March 2020, when the CEOs of General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler tried to coordinate production halts over Covid-19 fears, only to be warned by their lawyers that doing so could violate antitrust rules.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The automatic stay halts proceedings but doesn't compel creditors to undo pre-petition filings without operative effect.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
Definition of halts
Noun
  • Why church closings affect more than just churchgoers Despite churches’ struggles, Christianity remains the dominant religion in America.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Nearly 40 public elementary schools in Orange County now enroll fewer students than needed to be financially stable, raising the specter of more school closings in a district that shuttered seven campuses in May.
    — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of closings
Noun
  • That included the East-West Pipeline, the main conduit Saudi Arabia has used to circumvent Iranian and American closures of the Strait of Hormuz.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Hooters has lost its last restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida, marking the latest longtime location to disappear as closures continue following the chain's bankruptcy restructuring.
    — Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of closures

Browse Nearby Words

ending
endings
endless
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Cite this Entry

“Endings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/endings. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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