bitter end

[ bit-er -end for 1; bit-er -end for 2 ]

/ ˈbɪt ər ˈɛnd for 1; ˈbɪt ər ˌɛnd for 2 /

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See synonyms for bitter end on Thesaurus.com

noun

the conclusion of a difficult or unpleasant situation; the last or furthest extremity: Despite the unpleasant scenes in the movie, she insisted on staying until the bitter end.

Nautical.

the inboard end of an anchor chain or cable, secured in the chain locker of a vessel.
the end of any chain or cable.

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QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.

Question 1 of 7

Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?

their

there

they're

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Origin of bitter end

1620–30 in form bitters end; probably bitt + -er¹, later taken as bitter

Words nearby bitter end

bitter, bitter apple, bitterbark, bitterbrush, bittercress, bitter end, bitterender, bitter herb, bitter lake, Bitter Lakes, bitterling

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for bitter end

Yet this, in the end, is a book from which one emerges sad, gloomy, disenchanted, at least if we agree to take it seriously.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Weeks retained an unparalleled legal team, which included bitter political rivals Hamilton and Burr.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the end, the clarity that comes from moments of horror can help us recommit to deeper principles.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the end, I find it never fails to modernize even the most dramatic things.
‘Empire’ Review: Hip-Hop Musical Chairs with an Insane Soap Opera Twist|Judnick Mayard|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Kennedy: "Mankind must put an end to war — or war will put an end to mankind."
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I presume the twenty-five or thirty miles at this end is unhealthy, even for natives, but it surely need not be so.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
On to Gaba Tepe just in time to see the opening, the climax and the end of the dreaded Turkish counter attack.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
He wanted to tell her that if she called her father, it would mean the end of everything for them, but he withheld this.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
Under the internal pressure his whiskers stood on end and his face grew red.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
She stood, in her young purity, at one end of the chain of years, and Mrs. Chepstow—did she really stand at the other?
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for bitter end

bitter end

noun

nautical the end of a line, chain, or cable, esp the end secured in the chain locker of a vessel

to the bitter end until the finish of a task, job, or undertaking, however unpleasant or difficult
until final defeat or death

Word Origin for bitter end

C19: in both senses perhaps from bitt

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

Idioms and Phrases with bitter end

bitter end

The last extremity; also, death or ruin. For example, I'm supporting the union's demands to the bitter end, or Even though they fight a lot, I'm sure Mom and Dad will stay together to the bitter end. The source of this term may have been nautical, a bitter being a turn of a cable around posts, or bitts, on a ship's deck, and the bitter end meaning “the part of the cable that stays inboard.” Thus, when a rope is paid out to the bitter end, no more remains. [Mid-1800s]

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bitter end

noun

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Origin of bitter end

Words nearby bitter end

Example sentences from the Web for bitter end

British Dictionary definitions for bitter end

noun

Word Origin for bitter end

Idioms and Phrases with bitter end

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

bitter end

noun

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Origin of bitter end

Words nearby bitter end

Words related to bitter end

Example sentences from the Web for bitter end

British Dictionary definitions for bitter end

noun

Word Origin for bitter end

Idioms and Phrases with bitter end