ending

American  

[en-ding] / ˈɛn dɪŋ /

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.

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ending British  

/ 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

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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

• unending adjective
• unendingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of ending

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

Example Sentences

Honda said Wednesday that it doesn’t expect the joint venture’s halt to have a material impact on its forecasts for the fiscal year ending in March.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nearly six weeks after federal officials said they were ending “Operation Metro Surge,” most shops and taquerias are back—but many of their customers aren’t.

From The Wall Street Journal

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the U.S. had sent Iran a plan for ending the war in the Middle East, citing two officials briefed on the diplomacy.

From MarketWatch

After three years of payments, researchers found that both groups worked slightly more—which may have resulted from the pilot’s starting during the pandemic and ending as the economy bounced back.

From The Wall Street Journal

Arab officials said they have been talking separately with both sides, but that Iran has set a high bar for ending hostilities that is preventing discussions from gaining traction.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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