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final

[fahyn-l]
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adjective
  1. pertaining to or coming at the end; last in place, order, or time: the final meeting of the year.
  2. ultimate: The final goal is world peace.
  3. conclusive or decisive: a final decision.
  4. constituting the end or purpose: a final result.
  5. pertaining to or expressing the end or purpose: a final clause.
  6. Law.
    1. precluding further controversy on the questions passed upon: The judicial determination of the Supreme Court is final.
    2. determining all issues presented, so that no further decision upon the merits of the issues is necessary: a final judgment or decree.
  7. Phonetics. occurring at the end of a word or syllable, as the (t) sound in bit or bite.
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noun
  1. that which is last; that which forms an end or termination.
  2. Often finals.
    1. the last and decisive game, match, contest, or round in a series, as in sports.
    2. the last, usually comprehensive, examination in a course of study.
  3. the last edition of a newspaper published on any day.
  4. Music. the tonic note of a church mode.
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Origin of final

1300–50; 1915–20 for def 10; Middle English < Latin fīnālis, equivalent to fīn(is) end + -ālis -al1
Related formspseu·do·fi·nal, adjectivepseu·do·fi·nal·ly, adverbqua·si-fi·nal, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for final on Thesaurus.com
1. See last1. 3. definite, irrevocable, irreversible, unalterable.

Antonyms

1. initial, first.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for finals

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Among the three who had reached the finals was their guest of the previous evening.

    The Highgrader

    William MacLeod Raine

  • The other two riders who had reached the finals were both experts in the saddle.

    The Highgrader

    William MacLeod Raine

  • Every week my finals and initials are held in many large towns.

  • My initials form a country in Europe, and my finals one of its lakes.

  • If I passed with higher credit in the preliminaries than in the finals, there are two reasons.

    Story of My Life

    Helen Keller

British Dictionary definitions for finals

finals

pl n
  1. the deciding part or parts of a sports or other competition
  2. education the last examination series in an academic or professional course
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final

adjective
  1. of or occurring at the end; concluding; ultimate; last
  2. having no possibility for further discussion, action, or change; conclusive; decisivea final decree of judgment
  3. relating to or constituting an end or purposea final clause may be introduced by ``in order to''
  4. phonetics at the end of a word``cat'' has a final ``t'' Compare medial (def. 1), initial (def. 1)
  5. music another word for perfect (def. 9b)
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noun
  1. a terminal or last thing; end
  2. a deciding contest between the winners of previous rounds in a competition
  3. music the tonic note of a church mode
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See also finals

Word Origin

C14: from Latin fīnālis, from fīnis limit, boundary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for finals

n.

short for final exams, by 1890.

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final

adj.

early 14c., from Old French final and directly from Latin finalis "of or pertaining to an end, concluding, final," from finis "end" (see finish). As a noun, late 14c., "that which comes last;" meaning "final contest" in a sporting sense is from 1880. As a shortening of final examination, from 1880.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with finals

final

see in the final analysis.

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.