end (ends plural & 3rd person present) (ending present participle) (ended past tense & past participle )
1 n-sing The endof something such as a period of time, an event, a book, or a film is the last part of it or the final point in it.
the N, usu prep N, N of n
The £5 banknote was first issued at the end of the 18th century..., The report is expected by the end of the year..., You will have the chance to ask questions at the end.
2 verb When a situation, process, or activity ends, or when something or someone ends it, it reaches its final point and stops.
The meeting quickly ended and Steve and I left the room... V
Talks have resumed to try to end the fighting... V n
ending n-sing usu the N of n
The ending of a marriage by death is different in many ways from an ending occasioned by divorce.
3 n-count An endto something or the endof it is the act or result of stopping it so that it does not continue any longer.
usu sing, oft N to/of n
The French government today called for an end to the violence..., I was worried she would walk out or bring the interview to an end..., Francis fined him two weeks' wages and said: `That's the end of the matter.'
4 verb If you say that someone or something ends a period of time in a particular way, you are indicating what the final situation was like. You can also say that a period of time ends in a particular way.
The markets ended the week on a quiet note... V n prep/adv
The evening ended with a dramatic display of fireworks. V prep, Also V n by -ing, V n -ing
5 verb If a period of time ends, it reaches its final point.
Its monthly reports on program trading usually come out about three weeks after each month ends... V
The first figure shows sales for week ending July 27. V
6 verb If something such as a book, speech, or performance endswith a particular thing or the writer or performer ends it with that thing, its final part consists of the thing mentioned.
His statement ended with the words: `Pray for me.'... V with/on n
The book ends on a lengthy description of Hawaii... V with/on n
Dawkins ends his discussion with a call for liberation... V n with/on n
The memo ends: `Please give this matter your most urgent attention.' V with quote
7 verb If a situation or event ends in a particular way, it has that particular result.
The incident could have ended in tragedy... V in n
Our conversations ended with him saying he would try to be more understanding... V with n -ing
Shares ended 1.7 per cent firmer on the Frankfurt exchange. V adv/adj
8 n-count The two ends of something long and narrow are the two points or parts of it that are furthest away from each other.
with supp
The company is planning to place surveillance equipment at both ends of the tunnel..., A typical fluorescent lamp is a tube with metal electrodes at each end.
9 n-count The endof a long, narrow object such as a finger or a pencil is the tip or smallest edge of it, usually the part that is furthest away from you.
usu with supp, oft N of n
(=tip)
He tapped the ends of his fingers together..., She let the long cone of ash hang at the end of her cigarette.
10 verb If an object ends with or in a particular thing, it has that thing on its tip or point, or as its last part.
It has three pairs of legs, each ending in a large claw. V with/in n
11 verb A journey, road, or river that ends at a particular place stops there and goes no further.
The road ended at a T-junction... V prep/adv, Also V
12 n-count End is used to refer to either of the two extreme points of a scale, or of something that you are considering as a scale.
with supp, oft N of n
At the other end of the social scale was the grocer, the village's only merchant..., The agreement has been criticised by extremist groups on both ends of the political spectrum.
13 n-count The otherend is one of two places that are connected because people are communicating with each other by telephone or writing, or are travelling from one place to the other.
supp N
When he answered the phone, Ferguson was at the other end..., Make sure to meet them at the other end.
14 n-count If you refer to a particular end of a project or piece of work, you mean a part or aspect of it, for example a part of it that is done by a particular person or in a particular place.
SPOKEN usu sing, usu supp N
You take care of your end, kid, I'll take care of mine...
15 n-count An end is the purpose for which something is done or towards which you are working.
usu supp N
The police force is being manipulated for political ends..., Now the government is trying another policy designed to achieve the same end.
16 verb If you say that something ends at a particular point, you mean that it is applied or exists up to that point, and no further.
Helen is also 25 and from Birmingham, but the similarity ends there... V adv/prep
17 n-count You can refer to someone's death as their end, especially when you are talking about the way that they died or might die.
LITERARY usu sing, usu supp N
Soon after we had spoken to this man he had met a violent end.
18 verb If you endby doing something or end in a particular state, you do that thing or get into that state even though you did not originally intend to.
They ended by making themselves miserable... V by -ing
They'll probably end back on the streets. V adv/prep
19 If someone ends it all, they kill themselves.
to end it all phrase V inflects
He grew suicidal, thinking up ways to end it all.
20 If you describe something as, for example, the deal to end all deals or the film to end all films, you mean that it is very important or successful, and that compared to it all other deals or films seem second-rate.
to end all phrase n PHR n
It was going to be a party to end all parties.
21 If something is at an end, it has finished and will not continue.
at an end phrase v-link PHR
The recession is definitely at an end.
22 If something comes to an end, it stops.
to come to an end phrase V inflects
The cold war came to an end.
23 You say at the end of the day when you are talking about what happens after a long series of events or what appears to be the case after you have considered the relevant facts.
INFORMAL
at the end of the day phrase PHR with cl
At the end of the day it's up to the Germans to decide...
24 If you are thrown in at the deep end, you are put in a completely new situation without any help or preparation. If you jump in at the deep end, you go into a completely new situation without any help or preparation.
(mainly BRIT)
throw sb in at the deep end/jump in at the deep end phrase V inflects
It's a superb job. You get thrown in at the deep end and it's all down to you...
25 You say in the end when you are saying what is the final result of a series of events, or what is your final conclusion after considering all the relevant facts.
in the end phrase PHR with cl
I toyed with the idea of calling the police, but in the end I didn't...
26 If you consider something to be an end in itself, you do it because it seems desirable and not because it is likely to lead to something else.
an end in itself phrase usu v-link PHR
While he had originally traveled in order to study, traveling had become an end in itself.
27 If you find it difficult to make ends meet, you can only just manage financially because you hardly have enough money for the things you need.
make ends meet phrase make inflects
With Betty's salary they barely made ends meet.
28 No end means a lot.
INFORMAL
no end phrase PHR after v, oft PHR of n
Teachers inform me that Tracey's behaviour has improved no end.
29 When something happens for hours, days, weeks, or years on end, it happens continuously and without stopping for the amount of time that is mentioned.
on end phrase pl-n PHR
He is a wonderful companion and we can talk for hours on end...
30 Something that is on end is upright, instead of in its normal or natural position, for example lying down, flat, or on its longest side.
on end phrase PHR after v
31 To put an end to something means to cause it to stop.
to put an end to sth phrase V inflects, PHR n
Only a political solution could put an end to the violence.
32 If a process or person has reached the end of the road, they are unable to progress any further.
the end of the road phrase PHR after v, v-link PHR for n
Given the results of the vote, is this the end of the road for the hardliners in Congress?
33 If you say that something bad is not the end of the world, you are trying to stop yourself or someone else being so upset by it, by suggesting that it is not the worst thing that could happen.
not be the end of the world phrase V inflects, oft it v-link PHR if
Obviously I'd be disappointed if we don't make it, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.
34
→
the end of your tether
→
tether
→
to burn the candle at both ends
→
candle
→
to make your hair stand on end
→
hair
→
a means to an end
→
means
→
to be on the receiving end
→
receive
→
to get the wrong end of the stick
→
stick
→
to be at your wits' end
→
wit end up
1 phrasal verb If someone or something ends up somewhere, they eventually arrive there, usually by accident.
(=finish up, wind up)
She fled with her children, moving from neighbour to neighbour and ending up in a friend's cellar. V P prep/adv
2 phrasal verb If you end up doing something or end up in a particular state, you do that thing or get into that state even though you did not originally intend to.
(=finish up) If you don't know what you want, you might end up getting something you don't want... V P -ing Every time they went dancing they ended up in a bad mood... V P prep/adv She could have ended up a millionairess. V P n
be-all and end-all
If something is the be-all and end-all to you, it is the only important thing in your life, or the only important feature of a particular activity.
the be-all and end-all of sth phrase v-link PHR, usu PHR of n
For some people, competing is the be-all and end-all of their running.
business end
The business endof a tool or weapon is the end of it which does the work or causes damage rather than the end that you hold.
INFORMAL n-sing usu N of n
...the business end of a vacuum cleaner.
dead end (dead ends plural )
1 n-count If a street is a dead end, there is no way out at one end of it.
2 n-count A dead end job or course of action is one that you think is bad because it does not lead to further developments or progress.
oft N n
Waitressing was a dead-end job.
end product (end products plural )The end productof something is the thing that is produced or achieved by means of it. n-count oft N of n
It is the end product of exhaustive research and development.
end result (end results plural )The end resultof an activity or a process is the final result that it produces. n-count usu the N
The end result of this will be unity.
end user (end users plural ), end-user The end user of a product or service is the person that it has been designed for, rather than the person who installs or maintains it. n-count
You have to be able to describe things in a form that the end user can understand.
end zone (end zones plural )In American football, an end zone is one of the areas at each end of the field that the ball must cross for a touchdown to be scored. n-count
fag end (fag ends plural ), fag-end
1 n-count A fag end is the last part of a cigarette, which people throw away when they have smoked the rest.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL
(=butt)
2 n-count If you refer to the fag end of something, you mean the last part of it, especially when you consider this part boring or unimportant.
INFORMAL usu sing, N of n
He never had much confidence in his judgement at the fag-end of the working day.
high-end
High-end products, especially electronic products, are the most expensive of their kind. adj
...high-end personal computers and computer workstations.
loose end (loose ends plural )
1 n-count A loose end is part of a story, situation, or crime that has not yet been explained.
There are some annoying loose ends in the plot.
2 If you are at a loose end, you are bored because you do not have anything to do and cannot think of anything that you want to do. In American English, you usually say that you are at loose ends.
INFORMAL
at a loose end phrase v-link PHR
Adolescents are most likely to get into trouble when they're at a loose end.
rear-end (rear-ends 3rd person present) (rear-ending present participle) (rear-ended past tense & past participle )If a driver or vehicle rear-ends the vehicle in front, they crash into the back of it.
INFORMAL verb
A few days earlier somebody had rear-ended him. V n
tail end , tail-end
The tail end of an event, situation, or period of time is the last part of it. n-sing usu N of n
Barry had obviously come in on the tail-end of the conversation...
top-end
Top-end products are expensive and of extremely high quality. (BUSINESS) adj
...top-end camcorders.
