end

/ɛnd/

/ɛnd/

Other forms: ended; ends; ending

The end of something is its final point or farthest edge. After your cat unwinds a ball of yarn, you may find one end of it in your kitchen and the other end upstairs in the bathroom.

A piece of string has two ends, while stories, races, and years have just one end each. When you buy a length of fabric, the leftover bit is an end, and the final point of almost anything — a play or a marriage — is also an end. When you end something, you make it conclude. In football, an "end zone" is the far side of the field, and a "defensive end" is a player near the sideline.

Definitions of end

1. noun

   either extremity of something that has length
   “the end of the pier”

   “she knotted the end of the thread”

   “they rode to the end of the line”

   synonyms: terminal

   types:

   bitter end

   (nautical) the inboard end of a line or cable especially the end that is wound around a bitt

   bitthead

   the upper end of a bitt

   heel

   the lower end of a ship's mast

   point

   sharp end

   magnetic pole, pole

   one of the two ends of a magnet where the magnetism seems to be concentrated

   railhead

   the end of the completed track on an unfinished railway

   terminus

   either end of a railroad or bus route

   yardarm

   either end of the yard of a square-rigged ship

   nerve end, nerve ending

   the terminal structure of an axon that does not end at a synapse

   telomere

   either (free) end of a eukaryotic chromosome

   heel

   one of the crusty ends of a loaf of bread

   end point, endpoint, termination, terminus

   a place where something ends or is complete

   destination, finish, goal

   the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey)

   tip

   the extreme end of something, especially something pointed

   arrowhead

   the pointed head or striking tip of an arrow

   barb

   a subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove

   barb

   the pointed part of barbed wire

   cusp

   point formed by two intersecting arcs (as from the intrados of a Gothic arch)

   diamond point

   a very hard small point made from a diamond

   negative magnetic pole, negative pole, south-seeking pole

   the pole of a magnet that points toward the south when the magnet is suspended freely

   nib, pen nib

   the writing point of a pen

   pike

   a sharp point (as on the end of a spear)

   pinpoint

   the sharp point of a pin

   north-seeking pole, positive magnetic pole, positive pole

   the pole of a magnet that points toward the north when the magnet is suspended freely

   spear-point, spearhead, spearpoint

   the head and sharpened point of a spear

   spike

   each of the sharp points on the soles of athletic shoes to prevent slipping (or the shoes themselves)

   free nerve ending

   microscopic sensory nerve endings in the skin that are not connected to any specific sensory receptor

   Pacinian corpuscle

   a specialized bulblike nerve ending located in the subcutaneous tissue of the skin; occurs abundantly in the skin of palms and soles and joints and genitals

   proprioceptor

   special nerve endings in the muscles and tendons and other organs that respond to stimuli regarding the position and movement of the body

   fingertip

   the end (tip) of a finger

   tiptoe

   the tip of a toe

   finish line, finishing line

   a line indicating the location of the finish of a race

   beak

   a beaklike, tapering tip on certain plant structures

   type of:

   extremity

   the outermost or farthest region or point
2. noun

   a boundary marking the extremities of something
   “the end of town”

   type of:

   bound, boundary, bounds

   the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something
3. noun

   the surface at either extremity of a three-dimensional object
   “one end of the box was marked `This side up'”

   type of:

   surface

   the extended two-dimensional outer boundary of a three-dimensional object
4. noun

   a piece of cloth that is left over after the rest has been used or sold
   synonyms: oddment, remainder, remnant

   types:

   fag end

   the frayed end of a length of cloth or rope

   type of:

   piece of cloth, piece of material

   a separate part consisting of fabric
5. noun

   one of two places from which people are communicating to each other
   “the phone rang at the other end”

   “both ends wrote at the same time”

   type of:

   place, spot, topographic point

   a point located with respect to surface features of some region
6. noun

   the part you are expected to play
   “he held up his end”

   type of:

   contribution, part, share

   the part played by a person in bringing about a result
7. noun

   the point in time at which something ends
   “the end of the year”

   synonyms: ending

   antonyms:

   beginning

   the time at which something is supposed to begin

   middle

   time between the beginning and the end of a temporal period

   types:

   death, last

   the time at which life ends; continuing until dead

   death, demise, dying

   the time when something ends

   period

   the end or completion of something

   year-end

   the end of a calendar year

   close, conclusion, finale, finis, finish, last, stopping point

   the temporal end; the concluding time

   cease

   (`cease' is a noun only in the phrase `without cease') end

   fag end, tail, tail end

   the time of the last part of something

   last gasp

   the point of death or exhaustion or completion

   expiration, expiry, termination

   a coming to an end of a contract period

   limit, terminal point, terminus ad quem

   final or latest limiting point

   grave

   death of a person

   type of:

   point, point in time

   an instant of time
8. noun

   the concluding parts of an event or occurrence
   “the end was exciting”

   synonyms: final stage, last

   types:

   end game, endgame

   the final stages of a chess game after most of the pieces have been removed from the board

   end game, endgame

   the final stages of an extended process of negotiation

   homestretch

   the end of an enterprise

   passing

   the end of something

   type of:

   conclusion, ending, finish

   event whose occurrence ends something
9. noun

   a final state
   “he came to a bad end”

   “the so-called glorious experiment came to an inglorious end”

   synonyms: death, destruction

   type of:

   state

   the way something is with respect to its main attributes
10. verb

    have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
    “My property ends by the bushes”

    “The symphony ends in a pianissimo”

    synonyms: cease, finish, stop, terminate

    antonyms:

    begin

    have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense

    begin, start

    have a beginning characterized in some specified way

    begin

    have a beginning, of a temporal event

    types:

    pass away

    go out of existence

    lapse

    end, at least for a long time

    cut out

    cease operating

    go out

    become extinguished

    adjourn, break up, recess

    close at the end of a session

    disappear, vanish

    cease to exist

    climax, culminate

    end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage

    run out

    become used up; be exhausted

    go, run low, run short

    to be spent or finished

    disappear, go away, vanish

    become invisible or unnoticeable

    close, conclude

    come to a close

    come out, turn out

    result or end

    discontinue

    come to or be at an end

    break

    come to an end

    dematerialise, dematerialize

    become immaterial; disappear

    crown, top

    be the culminating event

    clear, dissipate

    go away or disappear

    bob under

    disappear suddenly, as if under the surface of a body of water

    eventuate

    come out in the end

    work out

    happen in a certain way, leading to, producing, or resulting in a certain outcome, often well

    fizzle, fizzle out, peter out, taper off

    end weakly

    leave off

    come to an end, stop or cease

    expire, run out

    lose validity
11. verb

    bring to an end or halt
    “She ended their friendship when she found out that he had once been convicted of a crime”

    synonyms: terminate

    antonyms:

    begin

    take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

    begin

    set in motion, cause to start

    begin

    begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language

    begin

    have a beginning, of a temporal event

    types:

    close out

    terminate

    finish

    cause to finish a relationship with somebody

    abort

    terminate before completion

    culminate

    bring to a head or to the highest point

    lift, raise

    put an end to

    ax, axe

    terminate

    kill, stamp out

    end or extinguish by forceful means

    break up, dissolve

    come to an end

    break up, dissolve

    bring the association of to an end or cause to break up

    break, break off, discontinue, stop

    prevent completion

    break, interrupt

    terminate

    crush out, extinguish, press out, stub out

    extinguish by crushing

    finalise, finalize, nail down, settle

    make final; put the last touches on; put into final form

    complete, finish

    come or bring to a finish or an end

    closure, cloture

    terminate debate by calling for a vote

    adjudicate, decide, dispose, resolve, settle

    bring to an end; settle conclusively

    conclude

    bring to a close

    close

    complete a business deal, negotiation, or an agreement

    phase out

    terminate gradually

    close

    finish or terminate (meetings, speeches, etc.)

    fracture

    become fractured

    close

    finish a game in baseball by protecting a lead

    hold on, stop

    stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments

    break off, break short, cut short

    interrupt before its natural or planned end

    freeze, suspend

    stop a process or a habit by imposing a freeze on it

    bog, bog down

    get stuck while doing something

    top, top off

    finish up or conclude

    clear up, finish off, finish up, get through, mop up, polish off, wrap up

    finish a task completely

    see through

    remain with until completion

    finish out, round out

    fill out

    carry out, follow out, follow through, follow up, go through, implement, put through

    pursue to a conclusion or bring to a successful issue

    judge

    determine the result of (a competition)

    adjust

    decide how much is to be paid on an insurance claim

    break up, cut off, disrupt, interrupt

    make a break in

    perorate

    conclude a speech with a formal recapitulation

    accomplish, action, carry out, carry through, execute, fulfil, fulfill

    put in effect

    type of:

    alter, change, modify

    cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
12. verb

    put an end to
    “The terrible news ended our hopes that he had survived”

    type of:

    destroy, destruct

    do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of
13. noun

    the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it
    “the ends justify the means”

    synonyms: goal

    types:

    aim, object, objective, target

    the goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable)

    bourn, bourne

    an archaic term for a goal or destination

    end-all

    the ultimate goal

    destination, terminus

    the ultimate goal for which something is done

    no-goal

    a nonexistent goal

    aim, design, intent, intention, mission, purpose

    an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

    intention

    (usually plural) the goal with respect to a marriage proposal

    grail

    the object of any prolonged endeavor

    idea, mind

    your intention; what you intend to do

    cross-purpose

    a contrary aim

    final cause

    (philosophy) the end or purpose of a thing or process

    sake

    the purpose of achieving or obtaining

    view

    purpose; the phrase `with a view to' means `with the intention of' or `for the purpose of'

    will

    a fixed and persistent intent or purpose

    business

    an immediate objective

    point

    the object of an activity

    thing

    a special objective

    type of:

    cognitive content, content, mental object

    the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned
14. noun

    a final part or section
    “we have given it at the end of the section since it involves the calculus”

    “Start at the beginning and go on until you come to the end”

    antonyms:

    beginning

    the first part or section of something

    middle

    an intermediate part or section

    type of:

    division, part, section

    one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole
15. noun

    the last section of a communication
    synonyms: close, closing, conclusion, ending

    types:

    anticlimax, bathos

    a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one

    afterword, epilog, epilogue

    a short section added at the end of a literary work

    epilog, epilogue

    a short speech (often in verse) addressed directly to the audience by an actor at the end of a play

    peroration

    (rhetoric) the concluding section of an oration

    coda, finale

    the closing section of a musical composition

    type of:

    section, subdivision

    a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
16. verb

    be the end of; be the last or concluding part of
    “This sad scene ended the movie”

    synonyms: terminate

    types:

    close

    cause a window or an application to disappear on a computer desktop

    type of:

    be

    have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
17. noun

    (football) the person who plays at one end of the line of scrimmage
    “the end managed to hold onto the pass”

    types:

    split end

    (football) an offensive end who lines up at a distance from the other linemen

    tight end

    (football) an offensive end who lines up close to the tackle

    type of:

    lineman

    one of the players on the line of scrimmage
18. noun

    (American football) a position on the line of scrimmage
    “no one wanted to play end”

    type of:

    lineman

    (American football) the position of a player on a football team who is stationed on the line of scrimmage