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:
The 'Kids Cup', when Liverpool beat Chelsea in the 2024 Carabao Cup final.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Samsung is expected to release its final quarterly earnings report at the end of October.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Chinese officials investigating the China Eastern accident haven’t released a final report and didn’t respond to requests for comment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“All grants of parole are proposed decisions and become final only after a thorough and comprehensive review by the Board of Parole Hearings and the Governor,” officials with the department said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
It seemed inevitable that the final few tethers would snap, one by one, and her spirit would lift away.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Under head coach Sam Burgess, they had lost Challenge Cup finals at Wembley in the previous two years, but they had arrived at this game on the back of nine wins out of 10.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
In total, nearly 30,000 fans were in the stands across the three finals.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
His last NBA appearance was in Game 3 of the 2020 finals, a 115-104 Lakers loss to the Miami Heat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
The building had hosted two World Cup finals, witnessed Neymar scoring the winning penalty at the 2016 Olympics, and seen Pelé notch his 1,000th goal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Lack of school attendance comes to mind as the biggest treat, although I was worried about having more makeup work to do and about failing my finals.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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.
