ending
Americannoun
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a bringing or coming to an end; termination; close.
Putting away the Christmas ornaments marked the ending of the season.
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the final or concluding part; conclusion.
a story with a happy ending.
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death; destruction.
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Grammar. a morpheme, especially an inflection, at the end of a word, as -s in cuts.
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(not in technical use) any final word part, as the -ow of widow.
noun
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the act of bringing to or reaching an end
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the last part of something, as a book, film, etc
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the final part of a word, esp a suffix
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chess another word for endgame
Usage
What is an ending? An ending is a conclusion, as in I like stories with a happy ending. An ending is also a time when something is finishing or nearing completion, as in I’m ending my school career with all As. An ending is the opposite of a beginning and is used to mean the conclusion of something. Movies have endings. So do civilizations, like the Roman Empire. We even sometimes refer to a person’s death as an ending. Endings and the reasons or events surrounding them are often intensely studied or debated. Example: I liked the book until the terrible ending where the villain won in the last chapter.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ending
First recorded before 1000; Middle English endyng, Old English endung; equivalent to end 1 + -ing 1
Vocabulary lists containing ending
Common Core Grade 6, List 3
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Common Core Grade 5, List 3
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Reading: Literature - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
U.S. .consumer prices rose 3.5% in the 12 months ending June, according to the Labor Department.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Andy Burnham has made ending rough sleeping in the country his first policy pledge as the new prime minister.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Meanwhile, Sam Adams contemplates the film’s ending, arguing that Nolan’s final plot twist changes the meaning of the whole story.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
Others had no intention of ending the celebrations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
“I see the futures. There are a thousand endings to every story, and only by the telling does the ending become clear.”
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
There are no happy endings here, at least ones that are fortified by the American way of life.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
In obese mice, these sensory nerves showed a major reduction in branches and nerve endings, suggesting impaired nerve function.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026
The best coming-of-age stories derive their power from being endings as much as beginnings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
And he loves dramatic entrances and endings — he’s a showman.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 18, 2026
“I see the futures. There are a thousand endings to every story, and only by the telling does the ending become clear.”
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
