ending

UK: /ˈɛndɪŋ/ US: /ˈɛndɪŋ/ ,(en′ding)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

end•ing /ˈɛndɪŋ/   n. [countable]

1. the final or concluding part;
   end:
   The best part of the book is the ending.
2. Grammar a part at the end of a word, esp. a suffix, such as the -s in
   cuts.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

end•ing  (en′ding), n. 

1. a bringing or coming to an end;
   termination;
   close:
   Putting away the Christmas ornaments marked the ending of the season.
2. the final or concluding part;
   conclusion:
   a story with a happy ending.
3. death;
   destruction.
4. Grammar a morpheme, esp. an inflection, at the end of a word, as -s in
   cuts.
5. Grammar (not in technical use) any final word part, as the -ow of widow.

• Middle English endyng, Old English endung. See end¹, -ing¹ bef. 1000

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ending / ˈɛndɪŋ/ noun

1. the act of bringing to or reaching an end
2. the last part of something, as a book, film, etc
3. the final part of a word, esp a suffix
4. another word for endgame

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

end¹ /ɛnd/   n. [countable]

1. the last part;
   extremity:
   the two ends of a rope; the west end of town.
2. a point that indicates the full extent of something;
   limit:
   walked from end to end of the city.
3. the concluding part;
   conclusion;
   last point:
   We are finally at the end of winter.
4. an intention or aim:
   using evil means to achieve their ends.
5. an outcome;
   a result:
   What will be the end of all this arguing?
6. death, destruction, or ruin:
   This means the end of our hopes.
7. a piece or part left over;
   remnant:
   threw the end of his cigarette over the side.
8. a share or part:
   She takes care of the business end, and I take care of the public relations.

v. 

9. to (cause to) come to an end;
   conclude;
   terminate: [no object]
   The concert ended and the crowd went home. The book ends on page 364.
   [~ + object]
   The chairman ended the meeting at ten o'clock.
10. to form the end of:
    [~ + object] Those remarks ended her speech.
11. to cause the death or destruction of:
    [~ + object] The fire ended their lives.
12. to surpass or go beyond:
    [noun + to + ~ + all] a storm to end all storms.
13. end in, [~ + in + object] to result:
    The battle ended in a victory.
14. end up, [no object] to reach a final state or condition:
    I ended up tired, hungry, and broke.
    [~ + up + verb-ing]
    We ended up parking many blocks away.

adj. [before a noun]

15. final or ultimate:
    The end result is the same.

Idioms

16. Idioms at the end of one's rope or tether, at the end of one's resources, patience, or strength.
17. Idioms end to end, in a row with ends touching:
    to line up the playing cards end to end.
18. Idioms go off the deep end:
    • to lose emotional control;
      behave irrationally.
19. Idioms in the end, finally;
    after all:
    We kept coming back to that car and in the end we bought it.
20. Idioms keep or hold one's end up, [no obj] to perform one's part or share adequately:
    If you can hold your end up we'll finish on time.
21. Idioms make (both) ends meet, to manage to live on one's income:
    trying to make both ends meet with two jobs.
22. Idioms no end, very much or many:
    We were pleased no end by the enthusiastic response.
23. Idioms on end:
    • with one end down;
      upright:
      to stand a box on end.
    • continuously:
      to talk for hours on end.
24. Idioms put an end to, [~ + object] to terminate;
    finish:
    Let's put an end to this constant arguing.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

end¹  (end), n. 

1. the last part or extremity, lengthwise, of anything that is longer than it is wide or broad:
   the end of a street; the end of a rope.
2. a point, line, or limitation that indicates the full extent, degree, etc., of something;
   limit;
   bounds:
   kindness without end; to walk from end to end of a city.
3. a part or place at or adjacent to an extremity:
   at the end of the table; the west end of town.
4. the furthermost imaginable place or point:
   an island at the very end of the world.
5. termination;
   conclusion:
   The journey was coming to an end.
6. the concluding part:
   The end of her speech had to be cut short because of time.
7. an intention or aim:
   to gain one's ends.
8. the object for which a thing exists;
   purpose:
   The happiness of the people is the end of government.
9. an outcome or result:
   What is to be the end of all this bickering?
10. termination of existence;
    death:
    He met a horrible end.
11. a cause of death, destruction, or ruin:
    Another war would be the end of civilization.
12. a remnant or fragment:
    mill end; ends and trimmings.
13. a share or part in something:
    He does his end of the job very well.
14. Textiles a warp thread running vertically and interlaced with the filling yarn in the woven fabric.
15. Sport [Football.]
    • either of the linemen stationed farthest from the center.
    • the position played by this lineman.
16. Sport [Archery.] the number of arrows to be shot by a competitor during one turn in a match.
17. Sport [Cricket.] a wicket, esp. the one where the batsman is taking a turn.
18. Sport a unit of a game, as in curling or lawn bowling.
19. Philosophy [Kantianism.] any rational being, regarded as worthy to exist for its own sake.
20. Games either half of a domino.
21. [Knots.] the part of a rope, beyond a knot or the like, that is not used.
22. Idioms at loose ends, without an occupation or plans;
    unsettled;
    uncertain:
    He spent two years wandering about the country at loose ends.
23. Idioms at one's wit's end, at the end of one's ideas or mental resources;
    perplexed:
    I'm at my wit's end with this problem.
    Also, at one's wits' end. 
24. Idioms end for end, in reverse position;
    inverted:
    The cartons were turned end for end.
25. Idioms end on, with the end next to or facing:
    He backed the truck until it was end on with the loading platform.
26. Idioms end to end, in a row with ends touching:
    The pipes were placed end to end on the ground.
27. Idioms go off the deep end, [Informal.] to act in a reckless or agitated manner;
    lose emotional control:
    She went off the deep end when she lost her job.
28. Idioms in the end, finally;
    after all:
    In the end they shook hands and made up.
29. Idioms keep or hold one's end up, to perform one's part or share adequately:
    The work is demanding, but he's holding his end up.
30. Idioms make an end of, to conclude;
    stop:
    Let's make an end of this foolishness and get down to work.
31. Idioms make ends meet, to live within one's means:
    Despite her meager income, she tried to make ends meet.
    Also, make both ends meet. 
32. no end, [Informal.] very much or many:
    They were pleased no end by the warm reception.
33. Idioms on end:
    • having the end down;
      upright:
      to stand a box on end.
    • continuously;
      successively:
      They talked for hours on end.
34. Idioms put an end to, to cause to stop;
    terminate;
    finish:
    The advent of sound in motion pictures put an end to many a silent star's career.
35. the end, [Slang.] the ultimate;
    the utmost of good or bad:
    His stupidity is the end.

v.t. 

36. to bring to an end or conclusion:
    We ended the discussion on a note of optimism.
37. to put an end to;
    terminate:
    This was the battle that ended the war.
38. to form the end of:
    This passage ends the novel.
39. to cause the demise of;
    kill:
    A bullet through the heart ended him.
40. to constitute the most outstanding or greatest possible example or instance of (usually used in the infinitive):
    You just committed the blunder to end all blunders.

v.i. 

41. to come to an end;
    terminate;
    cease:
    The road ends at Rome.
42. to issue or result:
    Extravagance ends in want.
43. to reach or arrive at a final condition, circumstance, or goal (often fol. by up):
    to end up in the army; to end as a happy person.

adj. 

44. final or ultimate:
    the end result.

• Gmc *anthjá-; akin to Sanskrit ánta- end
• bef. 900; Middle English, Old English ende; cognate with Old Frisian enda, Middle Dutch e(i)nde, Old Saxon endi, Old High German anti, German Ende, Old Norse endi(r), Gothic andeis end

end′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 4. tip, bound, limit, terminus.
• 5. End, close, conclusion, finish, outcome refer to the termination of something.
  End implies a natural termination or completion, or an attainment of purpose:
  the end of a day, of a race; to some good end.
  Close often implies a planned rounding off of something in process:
  the close of a conference.
  Conclusion suggests a decision or arrangement:
  All evidence leads to this conclusion; the conclusion of peace terms.
  Finish emphasizes completion of something begun:
  a fight to the finish.
  Outcome suggests the issue of something that was in doubt:
  the outcome of a game.
• 7. See aim. 

end²  (end), v.t. [Brit. Dial.]

1. British Terms to put wheat, hay, or other grain into a stack or barn.

• perh. variant of dialect, dialectal in to harvest (Old English innian to lodge, put up). See inn 1600–10

end-, 

1. var. of endo- before a vowel:
   endameba.

end., 

1. endorsed.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

end / ɛnd/ noun

1. the extremity of the length of something, such as a road, line, etc
2. the surface at either extremity of a three-dimensional object
3. the extreme extent, limit, or degree of something
4. the most distant place or time that can be imagined: the ends of the earth, the end of days
5. the time at which something is concluded
6. the last section or part
7. a share or part: his end of the bargain
8. (often plural) a remnant or fragment (esp in the phrase odds and ends)
9. a final state, esp death; destruction
10. the purpose of an action or existence
11. either of the two defended areas of a playing field, rink, etc
12. a section of play from one side of the rink to the other
13. at an end ⇒ exhausted or completed
14. at the end of the day ⇒
    See day10
15. come to an end ⇒ to become completed or exhausted
16. get one's end away ⇒ to have sexual intercourse
17. in the end ⇒ finally
18. keep one's end up ⇒ to sustain one's part in a joint enterprise
19. to hold one's own in an argument, contest, etc
20. make ends meet, make both ends meet ⇒ to spend no more than the money one has
21. no end, no end of ⇒ (intensifier): I had no end of work
22. on end ⇒ upright
23. without pause or interruption
24. the end ⇒ the worst, esp something that goes beyond the limits of endurance

verb

1. to bring or come to a finish; conclude
2. to die or cause to die
3. (transitive) to surpass; outdo: a novel to end all novels
4. end it all ⇒ to die by suicide

Etymology: Old English ende; related to Old Norse endir, Gothic andeis, Old High German endi, Latin antiae forelocks, Sanskrit antya last

ˈender noun