finale
Americannoun
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the last piece, division, or movement of a concert, opera, or composition.
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the concluding part of any performance, course of proceedings, etc.; end.
noun
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the concluding part of any performance or presentation
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the closing section or movement of a musical composition
Etymology
Origin of finale
1715–25; < Italian, noun use of finale (adj.) < Latin fīnālis final
Explanation
If you decide to leave the theater early to beat traffic, you’ll miss the finale — the exciting final part of a theatrical performance. Perhaps to ensure that audience members stay until the end, many musical and theatrical pieces end with an elaborate flourish known as the finale. (If it’s truly spectacular, it might even be called a “grand finale.”) Appropriately, the pronunciation of finale contains a final flourish that you just can’t miss: the letter e, which you might expect to be silent, is pronounced. The last two syllables of finale rhyme with alley.
Vocabulary lists containing finale
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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Theater - Introductory
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Theater - Middle School
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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.
“The Garden” premiered on the same Thursday as the finale episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
From Salon • May 29, 2026
Reviewing the first-season finale, I wrote that the series was at heart a romantic comedy.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
The finale also outperformed standard weeknight late-night competition by a wide margin, turning the sendoff into a notable ratings moment rather than a collapse.
From Salon • May 23, 2026
Fallon and Kimmel both announced last week they would not be airing new episodes of their shows on the night of Colbert's finale out of respect.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
But if ye do pass this tryout, then all you’ll need to worry about is the finale next week.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
