From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishendend1 /end/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 last part [singular]PART the last part of a period of time, event, activity, or story OPP beginning, startend of Costs are expected to double by the end of 2012.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]FINISH/COME TO AN END a situation in which something is finished or no longer existsput/bring an end to something It’s hoped the talks may bring an end to the violence.call for/demand an end to something 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 furthest part [countable]END/POINT the part of a place or object that is furthest from its beginning or centreend of We sat at opposite ends of the table. He wore spectacles perched on the very end of his nose. The end of the pencil snapped. Jo joined the end of the line. the far end (=furthest from you) of the room The channel measures 20 feet from end to end.stand/place something on end (=in an upright position) He stood the box on end to open it.lay/place something end to end (=in a line, with the ends touching) bricks laid end to end4 scale [countable usually singular] one of the two points that begin or end a scalelower/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.5 connection [countable usually singular] one of two places that are connected by a telephone call, journey etcthe 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)? 6 remaining piece [countable] especially British English a small piece of something that is left after you have finished with it cigarette ends7 aim [usually plural]PURPOSE an aim or purpose, or the result you hope to achievepolitical/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)8 part of an activity [singular] informalPART 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.9 sport [countable]DS one of the two halves of a sports field10 death [countable usually singular]MX a word meaning death – used to avoid saying this directly He met his end (=died) in a car accident. 11 → at the end of the day12 → for days/weeks etc on end13 → in the end14 → end of (story)15 → the end of your tether/rope16 → the end of the road/line17 → make ends meet18 → it’s not the end of the world19 → hold/keep your end up20 → no end21 → no end of trouble/problems etc22 → the living end23 → go to the ends of the earth24 → to the end of time → 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 somebody’s hair stand on end at hair(8), → be on/at the receiving end (of something) at receive(5), → be on the sharp end of at sharp1(19), → come to a sticky end at sticky(6), → the tail end of something at tail1(6), → at your wits’ end at wit(7), → get the wrong end of the stick at wrong1(16)GRAMMAR: Prepositions with end• You use at the end when talking about the last part of a story, book, film, game etc: At the end, the hero dies. There is a summary at the end of the chapter. • You often use at the end of when talking about the last part of a period of time: Marco Polo travelled through Asia at the end of the 13th century. ✗Don’t say: in the end of the 13th century• In the end means the same as ‘eventually’. You use it when saying that something happens or after a long period of time or a lot of other things have happened: In the end, she got her money back.I’m sure we’ll win in the end. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: the last part of a period of time, event, activity, or storyphrasesthe end of the day/week/month etcKaren’s returning to the States at the end of the month.the end of March/July/December etcMy licence runs out at the end of May.the end of the warThe two men met once again before the end of the war.be/mark the end of an era (=be the end of a period of time in history that is known for a particular event, or for particular qualities)The principal’s death marked the end of an era at the college.from beginning to endMichael Jordon led the race from beginning to end. THESAURUS – Meaning 3: the part of a place or object that is furthest from its beginning or centreend the part of a place or object that is furthest from the centre or the beginningthe end of the tablethe end of the street tip the end of something, especially something pointedthe tip of your nosean arrow tippoint the sharp end of somethingThe point of the pencil broke. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a situation in which something is finished or no longer existsverbscome to an end (=end)Arsenal’s ten-match unbeaten run came to an end with a 3–2 defeat at United.draw to an end (=to reach the end)My holiday was drawing to an end.get to/reach the end of somethingThe 40 year-old power station has now reached the end of its operating life.put an end to something (=make something end)A shoulder injury put an end to his baseball career.bring an end to something/bring something to an end (=make something end)They began peace talks aimed at bringing an end to the civil war.call for/demand an end to something (=publicly ask for something to happen or be done)The union is calling for an end to discrimination.adjectivesa sudden/abrupt end (=sudden and unexpected)After the news leaked out, his political career came to a sudden end.an early endHopes of an early end to the conflict are fading.a fitting end to something (=right for a particular situation or occasion)The fireworks display was a fitting end to the celebrations.phrasesthe end of the matterIf you think that’s the end of the matter, you’re mistaken.the end is in sight (=near)After a three year wait, the end is finally in sight. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 3: the part of a place or object that is furthest from its beginning or centreadjectivesthe opposite/other end (of something)Jon and his girlfriend were sitting at the opposite end of the bar.the far end (of something) (=furthest from you)He walked to the far end of the room and sat at his desk.deep/shallow end (=used about the ends of a swimming pool where the water is deepest or least deep)The kids were splashing about in the shallow end.phraseslay/place something end to end (=in a line, with the ends touching)The roof tiles are laid end to end. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 8: part of a job, activity, or situation that involves or affects one person or group of peopleadjectivespolitical/military financial etc endsThe government exploited the situation for political ends.verbsachieve your own ends (=to get what you want, used to show disapproval)Some people would do almost anything to achieve their own ends.phrasesto that end (=with that aim or purpose)Our first priority is safety, and the airline is working to that end.an end in itself (=the thing that you want to achieve)The programme is not an end in itself, but rather the first step the prisoner takes towards a new life.the end justifies the means (=used to say that something bad is acceptable, if it achieves a good result)Their defence, that the end justifies the means, is not acceptable.a means to an end (=a way of achieving what you want)To Joe, work was a means to an end, nothing more.with this end in view (=with this thing in mind as an aim)We need to reduce costs, so with this end in view, the company is switching supplier.
Examples from the Corpus
end• Community activists are calling for an end to selling cigarettes to children.• There are scoreboards at both ends of the stadium.• I don't like to swim in the deep end of the pool.• The demonstrators' ends do not justify their means.• A boy was carrying a stick across his shoulders with a pail of water at each end.• We sat in silence at either end of a long wooden table.• Prices range from $ 36 at the Sierra Club Lodge to $ 300-plus at the luxury end.• Their house is located on the north end of the lake.• You need a long pole with a hook at one end.• Mrs Deacon sat at one end of the long table and I sat at the other.• Racial tensions in Fiji were exaggerated for political ends by leaders of the opposition.• She works in the sales end of the company.• I liked the story, except when the hero dies at the end.• James was with his father at the end.• Rob's moving to Maine at the end of September.• We had five different shapes on the board by the end of the lesson.• By the end of the half, Oregon has opened a ten-point lead.• She chewed the end of her pencil thoughtfully.• He cut a thick slice from the end of the loaf.• I don't know what it will be, but I shall find a way to help her in the end.• We had a huge row, which marked the end of our friendship.• Near the end of his life Ramsey was asked which of his books he was most glad to have written.• Kauffman suggests that the end of the Cold War prompted Buchanan to re-examine his political values.• The doctor closes the folder when be gets to the end, and puts Ins glasses back in his pocket.• We were told to go to the end of the line.• Go to the end of the street and turn left.• Martha lovingly supported him to the end, friend and housekeeper for 25 years.• Let's hope they keep their end of the bargain.at the end• At the end of the first half, the score was 2-0.• You may remember that Ted was a little abrupt at the end of the meeting.• But there will be no arms destruction at the end of that time.• As an epilogue at the end of the film explains, Letterman was No. 1 in late night for 90 weeks.• The Clinton administration was more than ready for Washington's stage-managed millennial feelgood fest at the end of impeachment year.• He managed to catch a brief glimpse of him talking to a man at the end of the platform.• If you have any questions, can you ask them at the end, please.• The pot of gold was at the end of every two-bit dive with a stage, and they played them all.• My wife left me without a word at the end of March, leaving only a Dear John letter on the table.put/bring an end to something• I can put an end to myself in it.• He put an end to idol worship in his diocese.• The coming of the railways and their ally, the telegraph system, put an end to this situation.• So that put an end to that ... no more dances down at Cotherstone for me.• She was chosen to put an end to violence in Oakland.• We believe it will take more than just gentle persuasion to bring an end to over-specification and waste.opposite ends• Usually these styles are presented as opposite ends of a continuum.• One way to look at Cleveland is to say it is at opposite ends of the political spectrum with San Francisco.• For a long time now your granda and me have been living at opposite ends of this flat.• Run it into two uplifts at opposite ends of the tank, and pack it with filter floss and carbon.• Place both bags on a table with the straws extending from opposite ends.• Lonnie and Alfred occupied opposite ends of the spectrum.• A history held in the mind rather than in the genes splits them to the opposite ends of the earth.• Those who are holding the strings then go to opposite ends of the room and hold the strings taut.lower/cheaper etc end• The street was one of those which led into the souk and its lower end was completely blocked by stalls.• Especially at its lower end of the pay scale, the job world does not reward people adequately.• Only the flagship 50 configurations use the 7100; the lower end boxes in each class using previous incarnations of the chip.• There were a few clubs at the lower end of the street, but it was mostly owned by monolithic movie companies.• Traditionally, students like these struggle at the lower end of the education ladder.• At the lower end of the market much has also happened.• On the lower end of the job market, the most popular employer, certainly for girls, was Lyons.• What we hear as squeaking is only the lower end of a sonic signal mostly beyond the range of our human ears.the end of the phone/line• She places the end of her paper cylinder at the end of the line of powder.• Cast Your Line Before you take your place at the end of the line, here's a little tip.• The truth was somewhere at the end of the line and the first facts were a kind of starting point.• The sale marks the end of the line for the 61-year-old chain, which has had a rocky recent history.• Both boys kept their eyes on the end of the line.• When the tone stopped you had reached the end of the line - and that indicated the ferret's position.• Disappointed, I dragged myself to the end of the line.• For river people all along the Missouri and Mississippi valleys, Fort Benton was the end of the line.political/military etc ends• For this Act deliberately sought to use the courts and the judges to achieve political ends.• Often, in fact, Gandhi was more interested in improving the human means than in attaining political ends.• The Blairs insist the new arrival will not be exploited for political ends.• Before his release he was made to sign a written undertaking that he would not use religious groups for political ends.• What dubious manipulation of the system would they use for their own political ends?• Another confirmation of the transformation of the press was its proneness for take-over for financial rather than political ends.• The prevalence of conflict in Gascony during this period reflects the vulnerability of minors to the political ends of their elders.• Purely private defamation has little to do with the political ends of a self-governing society.met ... end• Balbinder had to be seen on to it, and met at the end of the day.• The last band met its end in 1906, in the Chiricahuas.• In that position Buddha met his end.• Affectionately, the documentary gives due to what gay visibility there was, even if gay characters met tragic ends.• A very nice young woman arrived in a taxi, which Geoffrey met at the end of the school drive.• No officer convicted of plotting against him met his end at the hands of the firing squad.• Find out why men and women became pirates, where they operated and how they met their end.• They met towards the end of January, and he kept the news from Theo until April.endend2 ●●● S1 W1 verb 1 a) [intransitive]STOP HAPPENING if an event, activity, or story ends, it stops happening OPP start, begin World War II ended in 1945.end with The festival will end with a spectacular laser show. b) [transitive]STOP HAPPENING to make something stop happening OPP start, begin The talks are aimed at ending the conflict.2 [intransitive] to finish what you are doing OPP start, begin I think we'll end there for today.end by doing something I’d like to end by inviting questions from the audience.3 [intransitive] if a road, path, line etc ends, it reaches its final point OPP start, begin This is where the line ends. 4 [transitive] to reach the final point in a period of time in a particular condition OPP start, begin They ended the game with a score of 63-42. The company ended the year with record profits.5 → end your days6 → end your life/end it all7 → the ... to end all ...8 → the year/week etc ending somethingGrammarEnd belongs to a group of verbs where the same noun can be the subject of the verb or its object. • You can say: We will end the session with questions. In this sentence, ‘the session’ is the object of end.• You can say: The session will end with questions. In this sentence, ‘the session’ is the subject of end.THESAURUSend if a event, activity, or story ends, it stops happeningHow does the story end?The school year ends in June.finish to end – use this about an organized event such as a meeting, party, or lesson, especially when saying what time it endsThe meeting will finish at 5.30.What time does your Spanish class finish?be over if an event, activity, or period of time is over, it has endedI can’t wait for our exams to be over.The long summer vacation was almost over.come to an end to finally end – used about a period of time, a situation, or an activity that has continued for a long timeThe war finally came to an end six years later.draw to an end/to a close written to end gradually over a period of time – used in written descriptionsThese problems still remained as the twentieth century drew to an end.time is up if time is up, you are not allowed any more time to do somethingI wasn’t able to finish the test before the time was up.time runs out if time runs out, there is no more time available to do something, especially something importantThe desperate search for survivors continues, but time is running out.expire formal if a ticket, bank card, legal document etc expires, the period of time during which you can use it has endedI’m afraid we can’t accept this credit card – it expired last week.be at an end if something is at an end, it has endedWe both knew that our marriage was at an end.The long wait was at an end. → end in something → end up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
end• How does the story end?• The affair ended after it was made public by the newspapers.• Winter was finally ending, and the first flowers of spring had begun to appear.• A knee injury ended Brotherton's basketball season.• The evening ended cordially with handshakes all round.• Their marriage finally ended in divorce three years later.• The school year ends in June.• A high proportion of trials which begin will end in settlement rather than judgment.• Our relationship just isn't working. I've decided to end it.• The conference ends on Saturday.• As the drought intensified, Mulholland begged the city fathers to end their abject deification of growth.• Janet's party didn't end until 4 o'clock in the morning.• But the problem with this approach is that it ends up becoming an end in itself.• Nevertheless Murphy should end up comfortably a millionaire once the earn-out is complete next year.• Sadly, these dedicated servants end up standing in the blazing sun, a routine broken only by the occasional soaking rainstorm.• How did these two offenders end up together?• Chasing and racing is fun for a time but you end up yearning for something different.From Longman Business Dictionaryendend /end/ noun1STATISTICSMARKETING top/bottom end a figure that is at the top or bottom end of a range is high or low in the range of possible figures that were expectedThe results were at the top end of previous market forecasts.2MARKETING top/expensive/bottom/cheap end a product that is at the top or bottom end of a range is the most expensive or cheapest in the rangeIt won’t be easy competing at the top end of the market.Bombay dealers are the main suppliers of the cheap end of the US diamond jewelry market. → see also front end, high endOrigin end1 Old English ende 