ends 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of end
1
as in concludes
to bring (an event) to a natural or appropriate stopping point let's end the meeting with a short prayer

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2
as in stops
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

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3
as in expires
to come to an end a book so good that you hate to see it end

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4
as in dies
to stop living a great general, who ended on the field of battle

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ends

2 of 2

noun

plural of end
1
as in endings
the stopping of a process or activity the end of hostilities brought general rejoicing

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2
as in limits
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

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3
as in remainders
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

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4
as in purposes
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish in this case the ends definitely do not justify the means

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5
as in tips
the last and usually sharp or tapering part of something long and narrow a child's pair of scissors with blunt ends

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6
as in closes
the last part of a process or action the war wasn't yet over, but we were definitely at the beginning of the end

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7
as in edges
the line or relatively narrow space that marks the outer limit of something the ends of his shirt cuffs were badly frayed

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8
as in fates
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

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9
as in portions
something belonging to, due to, or contributed by an individual member of a group keep up your end of the bargain

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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 ends
Verb
Those hoping the Iran war ends soon currently face disappointment. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026 Clarify the roles, choose a timeline, and schedule the next check-in before the conversation ends. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Sep. 2026 In banking software, the startup advantage often ends at the first vendor-risk questionnaire. — Ravi Nemalikanti, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Amid a scorching stretch, Bregman ends the month with his lifetime total now sitting at two. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026 The dazzling planet sets 1½ hours after the sun as September starts and only a little more than a half hour after as the month ends. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026 To him, there’s no reason a fan should have to hunt around when a game ends to watch their favorite podcast break down said action, as an example. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 1 Sep. 2026 People show up, order a drink, say something that may or may not be significant, and then the chapter ends. — David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 The video automatically ends when the trip is complete, according to Uber. — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
Higgins wore her hair in a voluminous, shoulder-skimming lob with the ends dramatically flipped outward, creating that unmistakable kicky silhouette associated with so many late-'60s and early-'70s looks. — Marci Robin, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026 Trim excess dough and pinch ends of pastry around sausage to enclose. — Kwame Onwuachi, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 Two slurry shield machines will excavate the cross-river section from opposite ends. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026 The lawmakers sit at opposite ends of the Senate’s ideological spectrum, but Flock’s rapid expansion, and the scrutiny now following it, has captured their attention. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 Cash buyers also remain a potent force at both the highest and lowest ends of the market. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 31 Aug. 2026 Volume is concentrated at the top of the head, while the contours taper toward the ends. — Lucy Binder, Glamour, 30 Aug. 2026 Apple, like most services, layers its shows purposefully so one ends and another begins, or has already just begun. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Weakness in high incomes isn't driving the convergence between the two ends of the class spectrum, Nassetta said. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ends
  1. concludes
  2. stops
  3. expires
  4. dies
  5. endings
  6. limits
  7. remainders
  8. purposes
Verb
  • Three-quarters of the way through an all-in-all pretty thrilling Reacher season, a picaresque episode introduces still another villain and concludes on a particularly dire cliffhanger.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • His departure concludes one of the most successful coaching tenures in junior college football history.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of concludes
Verb
  • The metalpoint tool sometimes slips or skitters; the fountain pen sometimes stops working—though, deprived of vision, the artist is unaware, and keeps drawing the now-invisible line.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a tender, surprising moment of reconciliation in the novel’s final pages — the place where story stops.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of stops
Verb
  • Micron's two-year ban on large-scale buybacks in order to secure CHIPS Act funding expires in December.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Repairs after a factory warranty expires can range from $186 for a wheel alignment to $6,200 for a transmission rebuild.
    — Emily Mercer, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of expires
Verb
  • After the child dies, their shares revert to their surviving siblings while the grandchildren receive cash from the life insurance payout.
    — Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • College grad dies hours after X2 Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old recent college graduate, rode X2 in June of 2022 with his cousin and brother.
    — Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of dies
Noun
  • 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
Definition of endings
Noun
  • This award recognized the engineering that helped concrete arch construction move past limits that had held back similar projects for decades.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Depleted underground aquifers and limits on the state’s draw of water from Lake Michigan could constrain data center growth.
    — David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of limits
Noun
  • Perhaps even a rag-tag group of remainders can put a scare into San Antonio.
    — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026
  • The best-case scenario would be for the Lakers’ remainders to extend the best-of-seven series with the Rockets long enough for Doncic and Reaves to rejoin LeBron James in that Big Three, either at the end of this series or the start of the next one.
    — Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
Definition of remainders
Noun
  • Anthropic wanted assurance that its technology would not be used for fully autonomous weapons or domestic mass surveillance, and the DOD wanted Anthropic to grant the agency unfettered access to Claude across all lawful purposes.
    — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Governments generally don’t need a model that’s as powerful as what’s on the frontier to automate a few tasks; Ting explains that a tiny model, even one with as few as 1 billion parameters, can suit those purposes.
    — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of purposes

Phrases Containing ends

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end-runs
ends
end-time
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Cite this Entry

“Ends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ends. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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