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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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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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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. 2023
How to use bitter end in a sentence
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
Other 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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.