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.
To celebrate, last night May and fellow band member Roger Taylor took to the stage with the BBC Symphony Orchestra for the Last Night of the Proms Finale.
From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025
Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery reflect on their father-daughter roles in ‘Downton Abbey,’ the end of an era and honoring Maggie Smith’s legacy in ‘The Grand Finale.’
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale will be on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from 21:00 GMT on 25 December.
From BBC • Dec. 13, 2024
“I designed the jazz-font default that’s included in the latest version of Finale, and I included compatibility for the music-symbol fonts from Standard Music Font Layout.”
From Slate • Sep. 26, 2024
The delightful "Scherzo" and inspiriting "Finale," are slightly suggestive of both Weber and Mendelssohn, whilst bearing the distinctive mark of their composer's personality.
From Masters of French Music by Hervey, Arthur
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.
