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Synonyms

on end

Idioms  

  1. Continuously, without interruption, as in It's been raining for days on end. This term, which might just as well be put “seemingly without end,” dates from about 1300.

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.

"Hundreds of prisoners end up locked away for years on end, with no way of receiving visits from their lawyers and families," Amnesty International said in a 2021 report on their website.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Widespread damage could keep energy prices high for months on end, regardless of whether Hormuz is reopened to traffic.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026

My adult physical life has been a mixed bag of hyper-athletic hot yoga, long country runs and hunching over my computer for days on end.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Smartphone dependence has existed for years, but experts say it was compounded for people when the COVID-19 pandemic forced people indoors for weeks and months on end.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

As I trailed my fingers along the racks I forgot about the diagnosis for minutes on end.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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.