end
/ɛnd
/noun
1A final part of something, especially a period of time, an activity, or a story: the end of the year Mario led the race from beginning to end...
- Like him or not, we're seeing the tail end of a key era in Canadian politics pass.
- "Last year marked the tail end of a bad downturn in the electronics business, " he says.
- We we nearing the end of June and the trip was less than two weeks away.
Synonyms
conclusion, termination, ending, finish, close, resolution, climax, finale, culmination, denouement;
epilogue, coda, peroration
informal wind-up
1.1A termination of a state or situation: the party called for an end to violence one notice will be effective to bring the tenancy to an end...
- For the best part of a century, that clanging sound signalled the abrupt end of an English night out.
- If Labour wins its expected second landslide it will mark the end of a century of Conservative hegemony.
- Some suggested its closure signalled the end of the upmarket steakhouse era.
1.2A person’s death: I saw him in hospital a few days before the end...
- It was hardly the most glorious end for a man who had cheated death so many times in so many of the world's wilder places.
Synonyms
death, dying, demise, passing, passing on, passing away, expiration, expiry;
doom, extinction, annihilation, extermination, destruction;
downfall, ruin, ruination, Waterloo
informal curtains, croaking, snuffing
Law decease
rare quietus
1.3 archaic (In biblical use) an ultimate state or condition: the end of that man is peace
2The furthest or most extreme part of something: the church at the end of the road [as modifier]: the end house...
- They live in a stark, unpainted, concrete house at the end of a five-mile dirt road.
- The door of the house at the end of the street is open and anyone is welcome in.
- The precast-concrete panels were attached to the steel ribs at the quarter points of the panels, with the top and bottom ends left unsupported.
Synonyms
extremity, furthermost part, limit, margin, edge, border, boundary, periphery;
point, tip, tail end;
North American tag end
2.1British A small piece that is left after use: an ashtray full of cigarette ends...
- For example 9 billion cigarette ends get dropped around Australia every year.
- Some hang on to so-called stub ends, a few shares held for old time's sake, even though they decided to sell out of a position.
Synonyms
butt, stub, stump, remnant, fragment, vestige;
(ends) leftovers, remains, remainder
informal fag end, dog end
2.2A specified extreme of a scale: homebuyers at the lower end of the market...
- During a space mission, astronauts and their spacecraft are exposed to temperature extremes on both ends of the scale.
- At extreme ends of the scale, the choice as to what you can grow is limited to plants that are suitable to either acid or lime.
- Would it not have been better to invest that money in raising the level of grants at the lower end of the scale?
Synonyms
aspect, side, section, area, field, part, share, portion, segment, province
2.3Either of two places linked by a telephone call, letter, or journey: ‘Hello,’ said a voice at the other end...
- Despite demonstrating I attempted to purchase a ticket at both ends of my journey and enclosing a copy of a travelcard I bought, my appeal was rejected.
- These chocolate soldiers of the air breeze past their human cargo apparently determined to avoid eye contact at both ends of the journey.
- He recommends that the southern end of the link should go ahead in the short-term.
2.4Either of the halves of a sports field or court defended by one team or player: when they changed ends, the goals kept coming...
- He demands that his players play both ends of the court.
- Saunders always has used a team approach on both ends of the court.
- A tireless, relentless player at both ends of the court, he is always in the middle of the action and seems to have a knack for coming up with the ball.
3A part or person’s share of an activity: you’re going to honour your end of the deal...
- If she isn't holding up her end of the deal than she should get a job and bring in some income.
- It probably is a cautionary tale for the rest of us who are in this end of the business.
4A goal or desired result: each would use the other to further his own ends to this end, schools were set up for peasant women...
- The Respondent, on the face of it to further his own ends but also in his view to further the wishes of the assignors, dealt with the matter in such a way that he simply cut out the input of the assignors' solicitors.
- The religious leader said politicians were trying to use religion to further their own ends, using sectarian violence as a tool.
- To this end I believe that the County Board must act now before an incident like this ends tragically.
Synonyms
aim, goal, purpose, objective, object, grail, holy grail, target, mission;
intention, intent, design, motive;
aspiration, wish, desire, ambition;
French raison d'être
5(In bowls and curling) a session of play in one particular direction across the playing area.
6 American Football A lineman positioned nearest the sideline: a defensive end...
- He was a pass-rushing defensive end in college.
- "He's one of the top defensive ends in this league, " Lewis says.
- They are, however, ready to finally have a decent receiving tight end.
verb
1Come or bring to a final point; finish: [no object]: when the war ended, policy changed the chapter ends with a case study [with object]: she wanted to end the relationship...
- Improbably yet convincingly, the film ends on an optimistic note.
- Here the film ends on a high note, suggesting that the experience is a positive one.
- The first season's contest ends on Thursday.
Synonyms
finish, conclude, terminate, come to an end, draw to a close, close, stop, cease;
culminate, climax, build up to, lead up to, reach a finale, come to a head
informal wind up
break off, call off, bring to an end, put an end to, call a halt to, halt, stop, drop, finish, terminate, discontinue, dissolve, cancel, annul
informal nip something in the bud, wind something up, knock something on the head, give something the chop, pull the plug on, axe, scrap, pack in, get shut of
British informal get shot of
archaic sunder
destroy, put an end to, extinguish, snuff out, do away with, wipe out, take
1.1 [no object] Reach a point and go no further: the surfaced road ends at the farm...
- But there's a strange exception to this doctrine. It ends when you reach America's shores.
- An alley runs from 12th Street behind the entire strip, and it ends before reaching 13th in a concrete wall.
- It ends when we reach the quantum limit to computing speeds.
1.2 [no object] Perform a final act: the man ended by attacking a police officer...
- It ended by adding a word of caution.
- He ended by saying that the agreement provides for disputes to be resolved by adjudication.
- The bishop ended by apologising for upsetting his flock and saying he had been honoured to serve the Church.
1.3 [no object] (end in) Have as its final part or result: the match ended in a draw...
- Remember their fine display against Dublin this time a year ago when the match ended in a draw?
- There was very little between the teams and it was appropriate that the match ended in a draw.
- That was the third and last time Kent visited these parts and it was the only game that ended in a definite result.
1.4 [no object] (end up) Eventually come to a specified place or situation: I ended up in Eritrea you could end up with a higher income...
- You'd think his talents would give him at least some benefit in the situations where he ends up in combat.
- Entering the Bridge Hotel we followed the signs eventually ending up in a dark panelled bar.
- Sport can be very cruel when a team plays its best football for years and ends up with nothing.
Synonyms
finish up, land up, arrive, find oneself, turn up, come, go, appear
informal wind up, fetch up, show up, roll up, blow in
Phrases
all ends up
at the end of the day
be at (or have come to) an end
be at the end of
be the end
come to (or meet) a sticky end
end of story
end one's days (or life)
an end in itself
end in tears
end it all
the end justifies the means
the end of the road (or line)
the end of one's tether (or rope)
the end of the world
end on
end to end
get (or have) one's end away
get one's end in
in the end
keep (or hold) one's end up
make an end of
make (both) ends meet
never (or not) hear the end of
no end
no end of
on end
put an end to
the sharp end
a —— to end all ——s
without end
world without end
Origin
Old English ende (noun), endian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch einde (noun), einden (verb) and German Ende (noun), enden (verb).
To make ends meet or make both ends meet, ‘earn enough money to live on’, was formerly also make the two ends of the year meet. It probably refers to the idea of making your annual income stretch from the beginning to the end of the year. The phrase goes back to at least 1661. If you are at the end of your tether you have no patience or energy left to cope with something. People in North America tend to say that they are at the end of their rope. The image behind both expressions is that of a grazing animal tethered on a rope so that it can move where it likes, but only within a certain range. When it reaches the end of its tether—when the rope is taut—it can go no further. At the end of the day has become one of those clichés that enrages teachers and linguistic purists. It is now continually parroted by sports players and commentators, but does not seem to have been used before the 1970s.