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Synonyms

at the end of the day

American  
[at thee end uhv thuh dey] / ˌæt ði ˈɛnd əv ðə ˈdeɪ /

idiom

  1. after everything is considered or accounted for; ultimately.

    At the end of the day, we went for simpler printers that just do their job as soon as you click “print” on your device.

    “Yes, cost and convenience matter, but at the end of the day, it’s about the welfare of our children,” she said.

Etymology

Origin of at the end of the day

First recorded in 1970–75

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.

And yet, she says, "The feeling here is more calm. I believe at the end of the day, we will be fine".

From BBC

"At the end of the day, everyone will be ok."

From BBC

If I don’t go home to let Mav out for a pee and to restuff his Kong with something delicious like peanut butter or cut-up hot dogs, then there’s going to be an even bigger mess for me to deal with at the end of the day.

From Literature

“At the end of the day, it’s just a tax break.”

From MarketWatch

But at the end of the day, "if you build a hammer... you can hurt yourself. So should we not build hammers any more"?

From Barron's

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.