bookend

American  

[book-end] / ˈbʊkˌɛnd /

noun

1. a support placed at the end of a row of books to hold them upright, usually used in pairs.

2. one of two things occurring or located at either end of something else.

   two events that served as bookends to my career.

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verb (used with object)

1. to occur or be located at the beginning and end of.

   His term in office was bookended by crises.

Etymology

Origin of bookend

First recorded in 1905–10; book + end ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bookend

The scene is a neat bookend to the “You can’t handle the truth” outburst elicited from Jack Nicholson’s Col.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Early in the season, they also lost bookend tackle Joe Alt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

We bookend this week with a couple of primaries to watch in Texas on Tuesday—beyond the Senate primaries, as you already know to watch those.

From Slate ● Feb. 28, 2026

The initial reaction to Zscaler’s earnings put the stock on course to bookend the week with sharp declines—who’d be a software investor?

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

Two guards bookend the prisoners, the same as the transport yesterday: The older man with the craggy, deep-lined features who looks like my uncle is in front, and the young one follows the prisoners.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

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