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.
I once thought the only happy ending would be one with marriage and children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
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
"But now, finally, it is a happy ending."
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 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
As I said at the very beginning, the book you are holding in your hands does not have a happy ending.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
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.
