finale

noun

fi·​na·​le fə-ˈna-lē How to pronounce finale (audio) fi-ˈnä- How to pronounce finale (audio)
: the close or termination of something: such as
a
: the last section of an instrumental musical composition
the symphony's finale
b
: the closing part, scene, or number in a public performance
the finale of the ballet
In the finale, the singer sang an Italian classic.
c
: the last and often climactic event or item in a sequence
the TV show's season finale

Examples of finale in a Sentence

She sung a very difficult song for the finale. the finale to the festivities was a grand display of fireworks
Recent Examples on the Web Mahi scored a game-high 30 points in his West Valley finale before moving on to Santa Clara University. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 Viewers will probably find out during Joey’s finale or soon after. Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024 The season 1 finale tests the sitcom's limits, offering up the romantic high of Ted winning Robin back and the emotional low of Marshall losing Lily. Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2024 But Dallas scored on sideline out-of-bounds plays after using Jason Kidd’s last two timeouts, and Murray missed a jumper from the elbow with 2.8 seconds left that set up Irving’s finale. Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 17 Mar. 2024 That being said, the series finale might just be the perfect time to hold the biggest and best bash there is. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 16 Mar. 2024 In the season 13 finale, Megan is miraculously found. TIME, 14 Mar. 2024 Without spoiling the ending, the finale wraps up not by tying together the story’s light and dark sides, but by cavalierly discarding one of those halves altogether, in a way that left me wondering what the point of any of it was. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 When will the series finale of 'Young Sheldon' air? Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'finale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, noun derivative of finale, adjective, "last, final entry 1," going back to Latin fīnālis

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of finale was in 1774

Dictionary Entries Near finale

Cite this Entry

“Finale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finale. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

finale

noun
fi·​na·​le fə-ˈnal-ē How to pronounce finale (audio) fi-ˈnäl- How to pronounce finale (audio)
: the close or end of something (as a musical work)

More from Merriam-Webster on finale

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!