end

Phrases

all ends up

informal completely.

at the end of the day

British informal when everything is taken into consideration:at the end of the day I’m responsible for what happens in the school

be at (or have come to) an end

be finished or completed:negotiations were virtually at an end

(of a supply of something) become exhausted:our patience has come to an end

be at the end of

be close to having no more of (something):she was at the end of her patience

be the end

British informal be the limit of what one can tolerate:you really are the end!

come to (or meet) a sticky end

British be led by one’s own actions to ruin or an unpleasant death: behave yourself or you will come to a sticky end!

end of story

(also Britishend of)

informal used to emphasize that there is nothing to add on a matter just mentioned:Men don’t cry in public. End of story

end one's days (or life)

spend the final part of one’s life in a specified place or state:she ended her days in London

an end in itself

a goal that is pursued in its own right to the exclusion of others: competition is not an end in itself

end in tears

British have an unhappy or unpleasant outcome:this treaty will end in tears

end it all

commit suicide: his life was meaningless without Coleen, so he would end it all

the end justifies the means

wrong or unfair methods may be used if the overall goal is good: we excuse our greed by claiming that the end justifies the means

the end of the road (or line)

the point beyond which progress or survival cannot continue:if the damages award is not lowered it could be the end of the road for the publisher they’ve been offered compensation and they’ll accept, but only because they feel they’ve reached the end of the line

the end of one's tether (or North American rope)

British having no patience or energy left to cope with something:these individuals have reached the end of their tether

the end of the world

the termination of life on the earth.

informal a complete disaster:it’s not the end of the world if we draw

end on

with the end of an object facing towards one:seen end on, their sharp summits point like arrows

with the end of an object touching that of another:stone tiles had been layered end on with incredible skill

end to end

in a row with the end of one object touching that of another: bales were laid end to end for a delivery

get (or have) one's end away

British vulgar slang have sexual intercourse.

in the end

eventually or on reflection:in the end, I saw that she was right

keep (or hold) one's end up

British informal perform well in a difficult or competitive situation: Michael had to keep his end up against attacks

make an end of

cause (someone or something) to stop existing or die: we regret that the printers did not make an end of half-paid female labour

make (both) ends meet

earn just enough money to live on: they were finding it hard to make ends meet

never (or not) hear the end of

be continually reminded of (an unpleasant topic or cause of annoyance):a criminal court which admitted such a defence would never hear the end of it

no end

informal to a great extent; very much:this cheered me up no end

no end of

informal a great deal of:emotions can cause no end of problems

on end

• 1continuing without stopping for a specified period of time:sometimes they’ll be gone for days on end

• 2in an upright position:he brushed his hair, leaving a tuft standing on end

put an end to

cause (someone or something) to stop existing or die:injury put an end to his career he decided to put an end to himself

the sharp end

informal

• 1the most important or influential part of an activity or process:he was born at the sharp end of history
• the most risky or unpleasant part of a system or activity:businessmen are at the sharp end of the recession

• 2British humorous the bow of a ship.

a —— to end all ——s

informal used to emphasize how impressive or successful something is of its kind:she is going to throw a party to end all parties

without end

without a limit or boundary:a war without end

world without end

forever or infinitely: the long summer days stretched ahead, world without end