Meaning of END in English



1. the last part of an event or period of time

2. the last part of a book, film, show etc

3. happening at the end of an event, time, book, film etc

4. the part at the end of an object





to finish : ↑ FINISH

to finish something : ↑ FINISH

to make something stop happening : ↑ STOP

in the end/finally : ↑ FINALLY

see also



1. the last part of an event or period of time

▷ the end /ði ˈend/ [singular noun]

the last part of an event or period of time :

the end of something

▪ The end of the game was really exciting.

at/by/towards the end

▪ He left New York at the end of December.

▪ Towards the end of the interview, I was beginning to feel that I might have got the job.

come to an end


▪ It was a difficult project and I was glad when it came to an end.

there’s an end/no end in sight

use this to say that something is nearly finished or that you do not know when it will finish

▪ The current housing crisis is more serious than ever, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

to/until the bitter end

until the time when a very difficult event or situation finally finishes

▪ She remained loyal to her unfaithful husband right to the bitter end.

▪ The company’s board vowed to fight to the bitter end, rather than submit to the takeover.

▷ conclusion /kənˈkluːʒ ə n/ [singular noun]

the end of an event or piece of work, especially one that has several different stages or has continued for a long time :

▪ Introducing the changes has been a long process, and it’s still nowhere near its conclusion.

the conclusion of something

▪ At the conclusion of the trial, the jury returned with a verdict of guilty.

bring something to a conclusion

make something reach an end

▪ The talks are aimed at bringing the dispute to a conclusion.

▷ close /kləʊz/ [singular noun] formal

the end of a period of time or an activity :

the close of something

▪ The beginning of April usually marks the close of the skiing season.

▪ At the close of trading on the stock market, Ciena shares were up to $37.

draw/come to a close


▪ Several hours later, the meeting drew to a close and the board members filed out of the room.


▷ the end /ðiː end/ [singular noun]

the last part of a book, film, show etc :

▪ It was such a terrible movie, half the audience walked out before the end.

the end of

▪ The end of the book was so sad that I almost cried.

at/by/towards etc the end

▪ By the end of the play, the main characters have all either died or gone mad.

the very end

the most final part of something

▪ You don’t find out who the killer is until the very end.

▷ ending /ˈendɪŋ/ [countable noun]

the way a story or film ends :

▪ In the Spanish version of this story, the ending is completely different.

happy/sad ending

an ending in which something good or bad happens

▪ I love those old Hollywood movies with happy endings.

▷ finale /fɪˈnɑːliǁfɪˈnæli/ [countable noun usually singular]

the exciting or impressive last part of a piece of music, show, ceremony etc :

the finale of something

▪ The finale of Beethoven’s ninth symphony is really magnificent.

the grand finale

one that is very impressive

▪ For the grand finale there was a marching band and fireworks.

▷ conclusion /kənˈkluːʒ ə n/ [countable noun] formal

the last part of a book, play, report etc :

the conclusion of something

▪ At the conclusion of the book, the reader is still not certain whether Markham is guilty or not.

come to a conclusion

▪ There was complete silence in the room as the play came to its tragic conclusion.


▷ at the end /ət ði ˈend/ [adverb]

at the end of an event, period of time, book, film etc :

▪ If you have any questions, can you ask them at the end, please.

at the end of

▪ At the end of the first half, the score was 2-0.

▷ closing /ˈkləʊzɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]

done or coming at the end of a meeting, film, book, race etc :

▪ In his closing speech, he thanked the organizers of the conference.

▪ In the closing shot of the film, Hoffman walks away from the camera without looking back.

▪ The closing paragraphs were very moving.

the closing stages/minutes etc of something

▪ I turned on the TV just in time to catch the closing minutes of the race.

▷ final /ˈfaɪnl/ [adjective only before noun]

happening at or near the end of an event or process :

▪ The war reached its final stages in July.

▪ The Board is expected to make its final decision on the merger by August 12th.

▷ late /leɪt/ [adjective/adverb]

if something happens in late August, late spring etc, it happens near the end of that time :

▪ Can you come round late morning - at about 11.30?

▪ It was late summer, and the evenings were already getting cooler.

late in August/the evening/1918 etc

▪ We don’t usually expect to have a frost so late in the spring.

▷ latter /ˈlætəʳ/ [adjective only before noun]

the latter part/half of something

the part that comes fairly near the end or after the middle of something :

▪ This point is explained more fully in the latter part of the chapter.

▪ The house became known as Fields Mill during the latter half of the 17th century.

▷ end/finish with /ˈend wɪð, ˈfɪnɪʃ wɪð/ [verb phrase not in passive]

if an event or period of time ends with something, that thing happens at the end of it :

▪ The concert ended with a laser light show.

▪ The coming term finishes with an exhibition in the Arts Centre on December 12th.

4. the part at the end of an object

▷ end /end/ [countable noun]

the part at the end of something long and narrow :

the end of something

▪ She chewed the end of her pencil thoughtfully.

the end of the road/street/passage etc

the furthest part of the road etc

▪ Go to the end of the street and turn left.

at one end

▪ You need a long pole with a hook at one end.

at both ends/at either end

▪ We sat in silence at either end of a long wooden table.

▷ point /pɔɪnt/ [countable noun]

the thin, sharp end of something such as a needle, stick, or sword :

the point of something

▪ Ben carved his name in the tree trunk, using the point of his knife.

▪ the point of a needle

sharp point

▪ It has small white flowers, and leaves that taper to a sharp point.

▷ tip /tɪp/ [countable noun]

the narrow part at the end of something such as a finger, a branch, or a piece of land :

the tip of something

▪ Doctor Gordon felt my neck with the tips of his fingers.

▪ The village is on the southern tip of the island.

▷ nose /nəʊz/ [countable noun]

the rounded part at the front of a vehicle such as a plane :

nose of

▪ The nose of the plane dipped as we came in to land.

something’s nose

▪ Each missile carries 150 kilos of high explosive in its nose.

▷ head /hed/ [countable noun]

the rounded end part of a small object, especially something such as a nail or pin which also has a pointed end :

head of

▪ There was a hole in the pipe, no bigger than the head of a matchstick.

▪ I picked up a hammer and hit the head of the nail as hard as I could.

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