end

end¹ W1S1 [end] n

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

1¦(last part)¦

2¦(finished)¦

3¦(long object)¦

4¦(tip/point)¦

5¦(scale)¦

6¦(connection)¦

7¦(remaining piece)¦

8¦(aim)¦

9¦(part of an activity)¦

10¦(sport)¦

11¦(death)¦

12 at the end of the day

13 for days/weeks etc on end

14 in the end

15 end of story

16 the end of your tether/rope

17 the end of the road/line

18 make ends meet

19 it's not the end of the world

20 hold/keep your end up

21 no end

22 no end of trouble/problems etc

23 the living end

24 go to the ends of the earth

25 to the end of time

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[: Old English; Origin: ende]

1.) ¦(LAST PART)¦ [singular]

the last part of a period of time, event, activity, or story

≠ ↑beginning, start ↑start end of

▪ Costs are expected to double by the end of 2005.

at the end

▪ What would she find at the end of her journey?

▪ Hooker's death marked the end of an era .

▪ I played the tape from beginning to end .

2.) ¦(FINISHED)¦ [singular]

a situation in which something is finished or no longer exists

put/bring an end to sth

▪ It's hoped the talks may bring an end to the violence.

call for/demand an end to sth

▪ The EU is demanding an end to the ivory trade.

▪ At last it seemed the war might be coming to an end .

▪ The spacecraft is nearing the end of its useful life .

be at an end

▪ He rose to indicate that the conversation was at an end.

▪ Well, I hope that's the end of the matter .

▪ Another year has passed, with no end in sight to the suffering.

3.) ¦(LONG OBJECT)¦

the part of a place or long object that is furthest from its beginning or centre

end of

▪ Jo joined the end of the line.

▪ We sat at opposite ends of the table.

▪ the far end (=furthest from you) of the room

▪ The channel measures 20 feet from end to end .

stand/place sth on end

(=in an upright position)

▪ Harry stood the box on end to open it.

lay/place sth end to end

(=in a line, with the ends touching)

▪ bricks laid end to end

4.) ¦(TIP/POINT)¦

the thin part of something long or narrow, that is furthest from you

= ↑tip end of

▪ The end of the pencil snapped.

▪ He lost the end of his finger.

▪ He wore spectacles perched on the very end of his nose.

5.) ¦(SCALE)¦ [C usually singular]

one of the two points that begin or end a scale

lower/cheaper etc end

▪ the cheaper end of the price range

▪ At the opposite end of the political spectrum are the Marxist theories.

▪ Some teenagers are just a nuisance, but at the other end of the scale there are kids who pose a real threat.

6.) ¦(CONNECTION)¦ [C usually singular]

one of two places that are connected by a telephone call, journey etc

the end of the phone/line

▪ Sometimes, all you need is a calm voice on the end of the phone.

▪ We'll get a bus connection at the other end .

▪ Any problems at your end (=where you are) ?

7.) ¦(REMAINING PIECE)¦ especially BrE a small piece of something that is left after you have finished with it

▪ cigarette ends

8.) ¦(AIM)¦ [usually plural]

an aim or purpose, or the result you hope to achieve

political/military etc ends

▪ 40% of all research is undertaken for military ends.

▪ She'll do anything to achieve her own ends .

▪ Every task has a clear end in view .

to that end

formal

▪ He wants to cut costs, and to that end is looking at ways of cutting the company's operations.

an end in itself

(=something you do because you want to, not in order to get other advantages)

▪ IT is a tool for learning, not merely an end in itself.

the end justifies the means

(=used to say that doing bad things is acceptable if they achieve an important result)

9.) ¦(PART OF AN ACTIVITY)¦ [singular] informal

part of a job, activity, or situation that involves or affects one person or group of people

▪ She works in the sales end of things.

10.)¦(SPORT)¦

one of the two halves of a sports field

11.) ¦(DEATH)¦ [C usually singular]

a word meaning death - used to avoid saying this directly

▪ He met his end (=died) in a car accident.

12.) at the end of the day

spoken used to give your final opinion after considering all the possibilities

▪ At the end of the day, it's his decision.

13.) for days/weeks etc on end

for many days, weeks etc without stopping

▪ He was beaten and denied sleep for days on end.

14.) in the end

after a period of time, or after everything has been done

▪ What did you decide in the end?

see usage note ↑lastly

15.) end of story

spoken informal used to avoid saying any more about a subject that is embarrassing or secret

▪ I tripped and hurt my arm. That's it - end of story.

16.) the end of your tether/rope

the point at which you are so angry and tired of a situation that you can no longer deal with it

▪ Frustrated and bitter, Hogan had reached the end of his tether with politics.

17.) the end of the road/line

the end of a process, activity, or state

▪ Our marriage had reached the end of the line .

18.) make ends meet

to have only just enough money to buy the things you need

▪ When Mike lost his job, we could barely make ends meet.

19.) it's not the end of the world

spoken used to tell someone that a problem is not as bad as they think

20.) hold/keep your end up

BrE informal to stay brave and hopeful in a difficult situation

21.) no end

spoken informal very much

▪ Your letter cheered me up no end.

22.) no end of trouble/problems etc

spoken informal a lot of trouble etc

▪ This will cause no end of trouble.

23.) the living end

AmE spoken used as an expression of slight disapproval - often used humorously

▪ What will she do next? She's the living end!

24.) go to the ends of the earth

literary to do everything possible to achieve something

▪ I'd go to the ends of the earth to be with him.

25.) to the end of time

literary forever

→↑dead end

→↑odds and ends

→be-all and end all at ↑be² (15)

→to the bitter end at ↑bitter¹ (6)

→burn the candle at both ends at ↑burn¹ (19)

→jump/be thrown in at the deep end at ↑deep¹ (17)

→go off at the deep end at ↑deep¹ (18)

→be at a loose end at ↑loose¹ (14)

→make sb's hair stand on end at ↑hair

→be on/at the receiving end (of sth) at ↑receive

→be on the sharp end of at ↑sharp¹ (19)

→come to a sticky end at ↑sticky

→the tail end of sth at ↑tail¹ (6)

→at your wits' end at ↑wit

→get the wrong end of the stick at ↑wrong¹ (15)

end ²

end² W1S1 v

1.) [I and T]

if a situation or activity ends, or if someone or something ends it, it finishes or stops

≠ ↑start, begin ↑begin

▪ World War II ended in 1945.

▪ talks aimed at ending the conflict

end by doing sth

▪ I'd like to end by inviting questions from the audience.

end with

▪ The festival will end with a spectacular laser show.

2.) [T] literary

to spend the last part of your life in a particular place or doing a particular thing

▪ He ended his days in prison.

▪ She seemed destined to end her days living alone.

3.) end your life/end it all

to kill yourself

4.) the ... to end all ...

used to describe something that is the best, most important, or most exciting of its kind

▪ the movie with the car chase to end all car chases

5.) the year/week etc ending sth

used to refer to the year etc that ends on a particular date

▪ the financial results for the year ending 31 Dec 2001

end in [end in sth] phr v

1.) to finish in a particular way

▪ One in three marriages ends in divorce.

2.) it'll (all) end in tears

BrE spoken used to say that something will have a bad result or not be successful

end up phr v

to be in a particular situation, state, or place after a series of events, especially when you did not plan it

▪ He came round for a coffee and we ended up in bed together.

▪ I wondered where the pictures would end up after the auction.

end up doing sth

▪ Most slimmers end up putting weight back on.

end up with

▪ Anyone who swims in the river could end up with a nasty stomach upset.

end up as

▪ He could end up as President.

end up like

▪ I don't want to end up like my parents.