final
Americanadjective
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pertaining to or coming at the end; last in place, order, or time.
the final meeting of the year.
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ultimate.
The final goal is world peace.
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conclusive or decisive.
a final decision.
- Synonyms:
- unalterable, irreversible, irrevocable, definite
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constituting the end or purpose.
a final result.
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pertaining to or expressing the end or purpose.
a final clause.
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Law.
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precluding further controversy on the questions passed upon.
The judicial determination of the Supreme Court is final.
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determining all issues presented, so that no further decision upon the merits of the issues is necessary.
a final judgment or decree.
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Phonetics. occurring at the end of a word or syllable, as the (t) sound in bit or bite.
noun
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finals
plural
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that which is last; that which forms an end or termination.
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Often finals.
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the last and decisive game, match, contest, or round in a series, as in sports.
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the last, usually comprehensive, examination in a course of study.
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the last edition of a newspaper published on any day.
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Music. the tonic note of a church mode.
adjective
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of or occurring at the end; concluding; ultimate; last
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having no possibility for further discussion, action, or change; conclusive; decisive
a final decree of judgment
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relating to or constituting an end or purpose
a final clause may be introduced by ``in order to''
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phonetics at the end of a word Compare medial initial
``cat'' has a final ``t''
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music another word for perfect
noun
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a terminal or last thing; end
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a deciding contest between the winners of previous rounds in a competition
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music the tonic note of a church mode
Synonym Usage
See last 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of final
First recorded in 1300–50; 1915–20 final for def. 10; Middle English, from Latin fīnālis, equivalent to fīn(is) “end” + -ālis adjective suffix; see origin at -al 1
Explanation
Use the word final when something is over and done with. If you pester your parents too much, they may say, "You aren't going out and that's final!" End of discussion. What is the last thing you do at school? You take final exams. Before leaving for a trip? You do a final check of your suitcase to make sure you have everything you need. Then you know you're finished packing. Both final and finish come from the Latin word finis, meaning "end." Now you know why some European movies show fin instead of the end before the credits roll.
Vocabulary lists containing final
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 4
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"Inventing to Solve a Problem"
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for February 13–19, 2021
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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:
“It’s kind of becoming more and more like the World Cup final than the Super Bowl at this point,” said Brian Mulberry, chief market strategist at Zacks Investment Management.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
After losing his first-day lead with a second-round 69, McIlroy said he needed a "heroic effort" to catch Clark on the final day.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Their final request was that the treatment mandated after the medical assessment "be provided without delay".
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
Fabares spent her final years taking care of her mother and advocating for more funding for research into the crippling disease.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
Ba stayed in the store all morning and would be distracted with final preparations for his trip; he wouldn’t notice that I wasn’t around.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
“We for sure want to go back to the finals and win,” Flowers added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
He has won gold in his past 12 European finals on the track since 2019, when he had to settle for indoor 1500m silver - his only defeat in a European track final.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The NBA’s departure, and the absence of the NHL Stanley Cup finals, contributed to a 17% ratings decline at Warner’s cable networks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
At ESPN, strong ratings from the NBA and NHL finals helped drive advertising revenue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Fiona qualifies easily for the league finals in the 800 and the high jump.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
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.
