| English Dictionary |
END
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does end mean?
• END (noun)
The noun END has 14 senses:
1. either extremity of something that has length
2. the point in time at which something ends
3. the final stage or concluding parts of an event or occurrence
4. the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it
5. a final part or section
6. a final state
7. the surface at either extremity of a three-dimensional object
8. (football) the person who plays at one end of the line of scrimmage
9. a boundary marking the extremities of something
10. one of two places from which people are communicating to each other
11. the part you are expected to play
12. the last section of a communication
13. a piece of cloth that is left over after the rest has been used or sold
14. (American football) a position on the line of scrimmage
Familiarity information: END used as a noun is familiar.
• END (verb)
The verb END has 4 senses:
1. have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
2. bring to an end or halt
3. be the end of; be the last or concluding part of
4. put an end to
Familiarity information: END used as a verb is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Either extremity of something that has length
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Synonyms:
end; terminal
Context example:
the terminals of the anterior arches of the fornix
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
extremity (the outermost or farthest region or point)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "end"):
bitter end ((nautical) the inboard end of a line or cable especially the end that is wound around a bitt)
tip (the extreme end of something; especially something pointed)
destination; finish; goal (the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey))
end point; endpoint; termination; terminus (a place where something ends or is complete)
heel (one of the crusty ends of a loaf of bread)
telomere (either (free) end of a eukaryotic chromosome)
nerve end; nerve ending (the terminal structure of an axon that does not end at a synapse)
yardarm (either end of the yard of a square-rigged ship)
terminus (either end of a railroad or bus route)
railhead (the end of the completed track on an unfinished railway)
magnetic pole; pole (one of the two ends of a magnet where the magnetism seems to be concentrated)
point (sharp end)
heel (the lower end of a ship's mast)
bitthead (the upper end of a bitt)
Derivation:
end (have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The point in time at which something ends
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Synonyms:
end; ending
Context example:
the ending of warranty period
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
point; point in time (an instant of time)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "end"):
limit; terminal point; terminus ad quem (final or latest limiting point)
expiration; expiry; termination (a coming to an end of a contract period)
last gasp (the point of death or exhaustion or completion)
fin de siecle (the end of a century, especially the 19th century)
close; conclusion; finale; finis; finish; last; stopping point (the temporal end; the concluding time)
fag end; tail; tail end (the time of the last part of something)
year-end (the end of a calendar year)
period (the end or completion of something)
death; demise; dying (the time when something ends)
death; last (the time at which life ends; continuing until dead)
cease (('cease' is a noun only in the phrase 'without cease') end)
Antonym:
beginning (the time at which something is supposed to begin)
middle (time between the beginning and the end of a temporal period)
Derivation:
end (bring to an end or halt)
end (put an end to)
end (have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical)
end (be the end of; be the last or concluding part of)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The final stage or concluding parts of an event or occurrence
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
end; last
Context example:
I had to miss the last of the movie
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
conclusion; ending; finish (event whose occurrence ends something)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "end"):
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)
Derivation:
end (bring to an end or halt)
end (put an end to)
end (have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical)
end (be the end of; be the last or concluding part of)
Sense 4
Meaning:
The state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Synonyms:
end; goal
Context example:
the ends justify the means
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
cognitive content; content; mental object (the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "end"):
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; purpose (an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions)
intention ((usually plural) the goal with respect to a marriage proposal)
Holonyms ("end" is a part of...):
plan of action (a plan for actively doing something)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A final part or section
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Context example:
Start at the beginning and go on until you come to the end
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
division; part; section (one of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole)
Antonym:
beginning (the first part or section of something)
middle (an intermediate part or section)
Derivation:
end (bring to an end or halt)
end (have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical)
end (be the end of; be the last or concluding part of)
Sense 6
Meaning:
A final state
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Synonyms:
death; destruction; end
Context example:
the so-called glorious experiment came to an inglorious end
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
state (the way something is with respect to its main attributes)
Derivation:
end (bring to an end or halt)
end (put an end to)
end (have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical)
end (be the end of; be the last or concluding part of)
Sense 7
Meaning:
The surface at either extremity of a three-dimensional object
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Context example:
one end of the box was marked 'This side up'
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
surface (the extended two-dimensional outer boundary of a three-dimensional object)
Derivation:
end (have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical)
Sense 8
Meaning:
(football) the person who plays at one end of the line of scrimmage
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Context example:
the end managed to hold onto the pass
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
lineman (one of the players on the line of scrimmage)
Domain category:
football; football game (any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "end"):
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)
Sense 9
Meaning:
A boundary marking the extremities of something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Context example:
the end of town
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
bound; boundary; bounds (the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something)
Derivation:
end (have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical)
Sense 10
Meaning:
One of two places from which people are communicating to each other
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Context example:
both ends wrote at the same time
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
place; spot; topographic point (a point located with respect to surface features of some region)
Sense 11
Meaning:
The part you are expected to play
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Context example:
he held up his end
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
contribution; part; share (the effort contributed by a person in bringing about a result)
Sense 12
Meaning:
The last section of a communication
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
close; closing; conclusion; end; ending
Context example:
in conclusion I want to say...
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
section; subdivision (a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "end"):
coda; finale (the closing section of a musical composition)
peroration ((rhetoric) the concluding section of an oration)
epilog; epilogue (a short speech (often in verse) addressed directly to the audience by an actor at the end of a play)
epilog; epilogue (a short passage added at the end of a literary work)
anticlimax; bathos (a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one)
Holonyms ("end" is a part of...):
narration; recital; yarn (the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events)
address; speech (the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience)
Derivation:
end (put an end to)
end (have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical)
end (be the end of; be the last or concluding part of)
Sense 13
Meaning:
A piece of cloth that is left over after the rest has been used or sold
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
end; oddment; remainder; remnant
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
piece of cloth; piece of material (a separate part consisting of fabric)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "end"):
fag end (the frayed end of a length of cloth or rope)
Sense 14
Meaning:
(American football) a position on the line of scrimmage
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Context example:
no one wanted to play end
Hypernyms ("end" is a kind of...):
lineman ((American football) the position of a player on a football team who is stationed on the line of scrimmage)
Holonyms ("end" is a member of...):
eleven; football team (a team that plays football)
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it ends Past simple: ended
Past participle: ended
-ing form: ending
Sense 1
Meaning:
Have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Synonyms:
cease; end; finish; stop; terminate
Context example:
The symphony ends in a pianissimo
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "end"):
break (come to an end)
discontinue (come to or be at an end)
cut out (cease operating)
come out; turn out (result or end)
close; conclude (come to a close)
disappear; go away; vanish (become invisible or unnoticeable)
go; run low; run short (to be spent or finished)
run out (become used up; be exhausted)
climax; culminate (end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage)
disappear; vanish (cease to exist)
adjourn; break up; recess (close at the end of a session)
go out (become extinguished)
lapse (end, at least for a long time)
pass away (go out of existence)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Antonym:
begin (have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense)
Derivation:
end (the last section of a communication)
end (the point in time at which something ends)
end (a final state)
end (the surface at either extremity of a three-dimensional object)
end (either extremity of something that has length)
end (a boundary marking the extremities of something)
end (the final stage or concluding parts of an event or occurrence)
end (a final part or section)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Bring to an end or halt
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
end; terminate
Context example:
The attack on Poland terminated the relatively peaceful period after WW I
Hypernyms (to "end" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Cause:
cease; end; finish; stop; terminate (have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "end"):
adjudicate; decide; resolve; settle (bring to an end; settle conclusively)
close (finish or terminate (meetings, speeches, etc.))
phase out (terminate gradually)
close (complete a business deal, negotiation, or an agreement)
conclude (bring to a close)
closure; cloture (terminate debate by calling for a vote)
complete; finish (come or bring to a finish or an end)
finalise; finalize; nail down; settle (make final; put the last touches on; put into final form)
crush out; extinguish; press out; stub out (extinguish by crushing)
break up; dissolve (bring the association of to an end or cause to break up)
break; break off; discontinue; stop (prevent completion)
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)
kill; stamp out (end or extinguish by forceful means)
break up; dissolve (come to an end)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sentence example:
They end moving
Antonym:
begin (set in motion, cause to start)
begin (take the first step or steps in carrying out an action)
Derivation:
end (a final part or section)
end (the final stage or concluding parts of an event or occurrence)
end (a final state)
end (the point in time at which something ends)
ending (the act of ending something)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Be the end of; be the last or concluding part of
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Synonyms:
end; terminate
Context example:
This sad scene ended the movie
Hypernyms (to "end" is one way to...):
be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "end"):
close (cause a window or an application to disappear on a computer desktop)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s something
Derivation:
end (a final part or section)
end (the last section of a communication)
end (the final stage or concluding parts of an event or occurrence)
end (a final state)
end (the point in time at which something ends)
ending (event whose occurrence ends something)
ending (the point in time at which something ends)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Put an end to
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Context example:
The terrible news ended our hopes that he had survived
Hypernyms (to "end" is one way to...):
destroy; destruct (do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
end (the last section of a communication)
end (the final stage or concluding parts of an event or occurrence)
end (a final state)
end (the point in time at which something ends)
ending (event whose occurrence ends something)
Context examples
But I understand, Holmes, that you are turning to practical ends those powers with which you used to amaze us?
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Their bid was low pleasure, narrow as the grave, that palled, and the grave was at the end of it.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
You observe the spatulate finger-ends, Watson, which is common to both professions?
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
It is the butt-end of the gun as the son stood listening.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
"If this road goes in, it must come out," said the Scarecrow, "and as the Emerald City is at the other end of the road, we must go wherever it leads us."
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
You may be doing savvy year-end tax planning, too.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
But the old king begged so hard, that she had no peace till she had told him all the tale, from beginning to end, word for word.
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
Of their smaller fowl I could take up twenty or thirty at the end of my knife.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
But the path began nowhere and ended nowhere, and it remained mystery, as the man who made it and the reason he made it remained mystery.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
I came back to my room and threw myself on my knees. It is then so near the end? To-morrow! to-morrow! Lord, help me, and those to whom I am dear!
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"The key that is used does not rust." (Albanian proverb)
"If you hear a person talking good about things that aren't in you, don't be sure that he wouldn't also say bad things about things that aren't in you." (Arabic proverb)
"He who digs a pit for another falls into it himself." (Czech proverb)