end

"End" is a very common and useful English word. It works as both a noun and a verb, and it has several important meanings you will encounter every day. Here are the most common ones.

everyday language · Modern, widely used

We stayed until the end of the movie.

The end of the school year is in June.

She read the book from beginning to end.

When you are talking about an object, the 'end' is the furthest point — the tip or edge. Imagine a pencil: it has two ends, the sharp tip and the eraser side.

everyday language · Modern, widely used

Hold the rope at this end and I will hold the other end.

There is a small shop at the end of the street.

The cat was sleeping at the end of the bed.

When you use 'end' as a verb, it means to bring something to a close, or for something to reach its finish. You can end something on purpose, or it can end on its own.

everyday language · Modern, widely used

The war ended in 1945.

4nounfigurativea goal or purpose

In a more formal or abstract sense, 'end' can mean the goal or purpose behind an action — the reason you are doing something. You might hear this in phrases like 'to achieve that end' or 'to what end?'

formal writing, philosophy · Formal, common in older and academic texts · figurative

To what end are you asking all these questions?

5nounfigurativedeath or destruction

literature, formal speech · Modern, used in formal or dramatic contexts · figurative

The villain met his end in the final chapter.

Many feared it would mean the end of their civilization.

That injury nearly brought about the end of his career.