bitter end

American  

[bit-er end, bit-er end] / ˈbɪt ər ˈɛnd, ˈbɪt ər ˌɛnd /

noun

1. 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.

2. Nautical.

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

   2. the end of any chain or cable.

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bitter end British  

noun

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

2. 1. until the finish of a task, job, or undertaking, however unpleasant or difficult

   2. until final defeat or death

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bitter end Idioms  

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of bitter end

1620–30 in form bitters end; probably bitt + -er ¹ ( def. ), later taken as bitter

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bitter end

His father was killed at the bitter end of the war, fighting for Marshal Tito, the leader who managed to knit together the multi-ethnic state of Yugoslavia and suppress simmering enmities.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Think backward: Where things begin is the bitter end, at a glitzy Hollywood Hills party in 1976 full of showbiz hangers-on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025

He plans to use his device until the bitter end and isn’t sure what he’ll do when his current devices stop working.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025

Thanks to Gi-hun’s knack for hanging on to the bitter end, we never have to find out what Myung-gi would have done.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025

Think: we were there nine years, and we tried everything, all stratagems against them, up to the bitter end that Zeus begrudged us.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer