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end

end

15 7.5
A leftover piece of cloth used for sewing or crafts
  • noun
  • /ɛnd/
: retal
  • She just broke up with her boyfriend, so she's a bit at loose ends.
  • odds and ends
  • loose ends

And then I take the very end little bit that's left on the brush.

Examples

  • All right, I'm going to slice this end off and see how this fits.

  • And so you can just trim a little bit of that end just right in there.

  • And then I'll just roll the end back around it.

  • Just make sure that this end here is blended in.

  • Baldwin comes in to clean up any loose ends.

  • "Shefek pulled the tattered ends of the torn cloak over his arm.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Ernie was tying off the ends of the baby blanket she had finished weaving the day before.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • I used the leftover fabric to make a small quilt from the end of the cloth.

  • After finishing the project, I found an end of ribbon that I could use for packaging.

  • The tailor cut the end off the roll to create patterns from the remaining material.

Synonyms

fragment
vsend
204 3.2

A small piece broken off something larger

is a leftover cloth scrap rather than a broken detached piece
residue
vsend
127 4.1

A small amount left on something after most is removed

refers to a tangible leftover cloth piece rather than a tiny remaining amount
remnant
vsend
104 4.2

A small piece, often cloth, left when the rest is used or thrown away

is specifically a leftover cloth piece rather than any remaining material
remainder
vsend
89 2.7

The part left after the other parts are used or removed

is limited to a cloth leftover rather than any remaining part
stub
vsend
12 3.7

A small piece left after most of a pencil, cigarette, or candle is used

is a leftover cloth piece rather than a small object remnant
tag end
vsend
1 7.3

A small piece left at the very end of cloth or ribbon

is any leftover cloth piece, not only the very tip or scrap
oddment
vsend
9.6

A small piece of cloth left after making larger items

is a plain leftover cloth piece rather than a stock or surplus piece

Antonyms

374 1.0

All of something seen as one unit

Idioms

835 1.0

Finally, after everything has been thought about

no end
  • Informal
70 7.7

Very much or for a very long time

end of story
  • Informal
53 5.3

A phrase that shows a decision is final and cannot be discussed

to that end
  • Formal
41 4.0

To make that happen

end of the world
  • Informal
40 3.7

A situation that seems like a disaster but is often not as bad

A sign that a hard time will soon end or get better

The final part of a difficult situation that ends badly

11 3.7

For many days in a row without stopping

10 8.1

To be told again and again about something you did wrong in an angry way

10 5.5

Keep doing something until it is completely finished, even when it is very hard

To have other people keep talking about something embarrassing or annoying

8 7.1

To get a worse or unfair result than others

to end in tears
  • Informal
5 6.0

Finish badly and leave people sad or disappointed after a hopeful start

4 7.6

The most important thing or main aim

3 4.6

To finish in an exciting and memorable way

which end is up
  • Informal
2 9.9

To know what is happening in a confusing situation

1 7.8

To understand how things work in a place or job

1 9.9

A very remote place far from towns and cities

1 9.9

A very remote place far from towns or cities

1 8.2

To have to do something difficult without preparation

A place very far away inside the same country

the living end
  • Archaic
1 8.2

Something people think is the best and most exciting

1 7.8

Start a difficult task without much preparation or experience

A way of looking at a situation that makes small details seem more important than the big picture

The worst part of a situation that someone gets

1 7.8

Put suddenly into a difficult situation without preparation or help

back end of a bus
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Something that looks very ugly and unpleasant

Finish in a way that leaves people disappointed or unhappy

To end up by chance with an unpleasant task or in a worse position

to end in smoke
  • Informal
8.1

To fail completely and have no useful result

You are unable to deal with something because you have no patience or energy

Very tired and cannot deal with a situation any more

A face that people think is very ugly

8.3

To die in a sudden or violent way

Do what you promised in an agreement

Continue doing your part for the team when things are hard

To think about things beyond your own immediate needs

Compounds

130 3.6

A situation where no further progress or solution is possible

106 7.9

The final event when God judges all people and decides their eternal fate

loose end
  • Informal
67 3.7

An unfinished small task or detail that still needs doing

The point when something stops or finishes

tight end
  • Jargon
48 6.3

In American football, a player on offense who lines up next to the tackle and blocks and catches passes

36 4.9

A job or situation that gives no chance to move up and get better

rear end
  • Informal
31 2.0

The soft part of the body you sit on

end user
  • Specialized
29 3.2

People who use a product or service, not makers and sellers

27 3.6

The part at the forward side of something that you meet first, like a car's nose

receiving end
  • Informal
26 4.4

A person or group who faces the bad effects of someone else's action

26 2.7

The time at the end of the year when businesses check accounts or finish activities

25 3.8

The rear part of something opposite the front

22 3.2

Happening at the end of a company's financial year

18 6.8

The most important goal or purpose of something

17 4.3

An important time that finishes and many people remember

bitter end
  • Informal
17 5.6

The final, most difficult part of something that you keep doing until it ends

16 3.5

The last part of something, especially a period or event

16 3.1

A part of west central London known for its theatres and shops

16 3.9

The place or moment when something finishes

14 4.6

For the whole time from the start to the finish

end run
  • US
12 7.6

A way of avoiding a rule or decision by acting cleverly

11 3.5

The eastern part of central London that has many cultures and lively markets

11 3.3

A final thing made after a process, like a machine or medicine

10 3.7

A job where you cannot get a better position

deep end
  • Informal
10 5.6

A difficult situation that forces someone new to cope

business end
  • Informal
8 4.7

The part that does the real work, like the sharp end of a knife

front end
  • Specialized
7 4.0

The part of a website or app that users see and use

7 2.7

A street or road that ends and does not go through

7 7.7

An indirect way to avoid a rule or problem

back end
  • Specialized
6 3.7

The part of a program that runs on a server and stores and processes data

A street that ends at one side so cars cannot drive through

5 2.0

The part of a pool where the water is not deep and safe for beginners

4 3.7

A part that sticks out at the back of something like an animal's rear

hind end
  • Informal
3 3.2

The part at the back of the body that you sit on

3 6.0

The pointed, dangerous part of a thing or the most risky part of a situation

2 4.2

Arranged one after another so each piece touches the next to form a line

2 7.4

The thicker end of something, often the handle of a tool

War to End War
  • Archaic
2 7.3

A name for World War I used by people who hoped it would stop future wars

closed-end fund
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A company that sells a set number of shares that trade on the stock market

end-to-end
  • Specialized
1 6.0

That protects data so only the sender and receiver can read or change it

1 7.3

A player who stands wide to catch passes for the team on offense

end organ
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A small part at the end of a nerve that senses touch or makes a muscle move

A part of central London with many theatres and shops

end point
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A network address where a service sends or receives data

nerve end
  • Specialized
1 5.8

The small tip of a nerve that sends and receives signals

end of the line
  • Specialized
1 5.3

The character that marks a break between lines of text

open-end fund
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A company that sells and buys shares directly at their daily price

sticky end
  • Archaic
1 7.7

A bad ending that often leaves someone hurt or killed

1 6.2

A decision about medical care when a person is near death, whether to continue life-saving treatment or focus on comfort

bitter end
  • Specialized
1 9.9

The inner end of a rope or chain that is fastened to a ship

1 6.9

A triangular wall at the end of a building under the sloping roof

open-end credit
  • Specialized
1 6.2

A borrowing plan that lets you borrow up to a set limit and use it again as you repay

end matter
  • Specialized
1 6.5

Written pages after the main text that give extra information, like an index or a list of sources

end run
  • Jargon
1 6.5

An attempt to move the ball by running around the end of the line in American football

fag end
  • UK
1 9.9

The last small part of something often thought less important

sticky end
  • Specialized
1 8.8

A short DNA end where one strand hangs out and joins a matching strand

fag end
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A frayed end of a piece of cloth or rope

open-end wrench
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A tool with two flat open jaws that grip nuts or bolts

1 8.6

A person standing at one end of a row of people

1 7.3

A small piece left at the very end of cloth or ribbon

box end wrench
  • Specialized
1 5.9

A wrench with a closed ring end that fits over a nut or bolt

genetic dead end
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A species or group that cannot have young and so ends its family line

1 8.1

A company that sells and buys back shares any time at a price based on its assets

1 8.7

Wealthy, powerful people who make major business or political decisions

The pointed end of a stick that can cut or poke

end man
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A performer at one end of a line in an old minstrel show who speaks and makes people laugh

1 7.9

A company that issues a fixed number of shares which are traded on a stock market

1 7.9

At the far end of a seaside pier that has simple shows, cafes and small attractions

end-plate
  • Specialized
1 8.4

The flat end of a nerve that sends signals to a muscle

A light, funny show on a British seaside pier with songs and jokes

motor end plate
  • Specialized
7.5

The place where a nerve connects to a muscle to make it move

idiot end
  • Informal
9.9

A foolish ending that gives no useful result

9.9

A thin, lean piece from the neck of lamb or veal for cooking

Surface Forms

end singular
ends plural

Etymology

The word end can mean a small leftover piece of cloth because shopkeepers called the short pieces at the 'end' of a roll 'ends', and the name stuck for those scraps.