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  • All's Well That Ends Well
    All's Well That Ends Well
    noun
    a comedy (1602?) by Shakespeare.
  • All's well that ends well
    All's well that ends well
    Problems that occur along the way do not matter as long as the outcome is happy.
  • all's well that ends well
    all's well that ends well
    Everything has turned out satisfactorily, even though the outcome has been uncertain. For example, His lawyer persuaded Jack to plead guilty, but the court merely put him on probation—all's well that ends well. This proverb, dating from about 1250, gained even more currency as the title of a Shakespeare comedy.

All's Well That Ends Well

American  

noun

  1. a comedy (1602?) by Shakespeare.


All's well that ends well Cultural  
  1. Problems that occur along the way do not matter as long as the outcome is happy.


all's well that ends well Idioms  
  1. Everything has turned out satisfactorily, even though the outcome has been uncertain. For example, His lawyer persuaded Jack to plead guilty, but the court merely put him on probation—all's well that ends well. This proverb, dating from about 1250, gained even more currency as the title of a Shakespeare comedy.


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This proverb was used as a title for one of William Shakespeare's comedies.

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.

The subsidised tickets will be available to book for the company's upcoming performances of Richard III and All's Well That Ends Well.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2022

"A pox upon him," a phrase that's lasted through the centuries, comes from "All's Well That Ends Well."

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2014

All’s Well That Ends Well: Sean ends his dance by publicly kissing Catherine to prove their love is real as is their upcoming ABC-sponsored wedding.

From Time • Apr. 9, 2013

But summer at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, where "Measure for Measure" and "All's Well That Ends Well" are in previews, should be a snap for John Cullum.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 19, 2011

The most charming of all Shakespear's old women, indeed the most charming of all his women, young or old, is the Countess of Rousillon in All's Well That Ends Well.

From Dark Lady of the Sonnets by Shaw, Bernard