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Synonyms

ending

American  
[en-ding] / ˈɛn dɪŋ /

noun

  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, especially an inflection, at the end of a word, as -s in cuts.

  5. (not in technical use) any final word part, as the -ow of widow.

ending British  
/ 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. chess another word for endgame

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What is an ending? An ending is a conclusion, as in I like stories with a happy ending.An ending is also a time when something is finishing or nearing completion, as in I’m ending my school career with all As. An ending is the opposite of a beginning and is used to mean the conclusion of something. Movies have endings. So do civilizations, like the Roman Empire. We even sometimes refer to a person’s death as an ending. Endings and the reasons or events surrounding them are often intensely studied or debated.Example: I liked the book until the terrible ending where the villain won in the last chapter.

Other Word Forms

  • unending adjective
  • unendingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of ending

First recorded before 1000; Middle English endyng, Old English endung; equivalent to end 1 + -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As it became clear that he offered nothing new about ending the war or reopening the Strait of Hormuz, stock futures slid on Wednesday evening.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The S&P 500 remains in the red so far this year, ending Thursday down 3.8%, according to FactSet data.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

"We're giving police stronger powers, ending the immunity for thefts under £200 so that shoplifters can be prosecuted," she added.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Economists at UOB point out that if anything, the RBNZ’s previous statement carried a mildly dovish tone, with the projected cash rate ending the year slightly below earlier expectations and peaking at 3.00%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

I take out my laptop and I bang out a new ending to my personal essay.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.