happy ending
Americannoun
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happy endings
plural
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in a story, a conclusion in which good has the final victory and major issues are resolved to the satisfaction of the lead characters, often with the formation of a romantic relationship and sometimes regarded as unrealistic, cliché, or sentimental.
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in real life, a favorable conclusion to any issue or series of events; a positive outcome for a particular person or group.
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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 discovery gives Kiama Library an unusually complete local mystery: an unidentified borrower, a hidden fireplace, a theoretical five-figure fine and, after approximately a century and a half, a very late happy ending.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
It's been a happy ending for the eggs of an elusive bird that were just inches from the flames of a large wildfire earlier this year.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
It’s also about the yearning for a more optimistic era of musical storytelling, when goodness could be counted on to prevail and a happy ending might be delayed but only rarely denied.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
The video streamer lost the battle for Warner—but judging by how the stock has moved since, that’s the happy ending investors should have been rooting for all along.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
Anyway, the reason I’m bringing this up is because the more we looked for Gordy Johnson, the more I started realizing that this story might not have a happy ending.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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.
