ending

[en-ding]

noun

1. a bringing or coming to an end; termination; close.

   Putting away the Christmas ornaments marked the ending of the season.

2. the final or concluding part; conclusion.

   a story with a happy ending.

3. death; destruction.

4. Grammar.,  a morpheme, especially an inflection, at the end of a word, as -s in cuts.

5. (not in technical use) any final word part, as the -ow of widow.

ending

/ ˈɛndɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of bringing to or reaching an end

2. the last part of something, as a book, film, etc

3. the final part of a word, esp a suffix

4. chess another word for endgame

Other Word Forms

• unending adjective
• unendingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ending¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English endyng, Old English endung; equivalent to end ¹ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The attack came a day before US special envoy Steve Witkoff is due to meet President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Read more on BBC

The draw will then take place between 9 and 11 a.m., followed by an hour of analysis and interviews, ending at noon.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In Los Angeles, court records show federal prosecutors have charged 71 people with assault on a federal officer this year, with 21 of those cases ending in dismissals or acquittals.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Earlier this week at the championship luncheon, the Garcias were smiling even though the coach/son role will soon be ending at Ventura.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The film rests in a dismal tone for so long that its gloominess becomes sappy, making the ending feel hackneyed and inevitable.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• closure 
• completion 
• denouement 
• finale 
• outcome 
• period 
• resolution 

When To Use

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.