light at the end of the tunnel
17
3.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
luz al final del túnel
- After months of struggling in my job, I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with new opportunities coming my way.
- see the light at the end of the tunnel
We can link this idea of the light at the end of the tunnel to time and events.
- We can link this idea of the light at the end of the tunnel to time and events.
- What is the is, is there a light at the end of the tunnel of a midlife crisis?
- Even if you can't see light at the end of the tunnel because things are so bad, it always ends.
- But though this might look like a light at the end of the tunnel, both parties have a sour taste in their mouths.
- I never thought I'd see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm back now with the knowledge, the experience, and I know what I want to do now.
- Your life struggles, whatever hardship you're going through, there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel.
- Those situations that look very, very you, you might see a end of a that light at the end of the tunnel and that light might be the size of a pinprick.
- But the light at the end of the tunnel is that movie still was very successful and I was happy to have made it.
- I think about that light at the end of the tunnel as as we're out of it.
- You know, let's let's let's be there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Examples
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We can look at what's happened in Washington and we can look at other places and see that there is light at the end of the tunnel if you stay the course.
-
We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
-
We can link this idea of the light at the end of the tunnel to time and events.
-
I thought I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
-
The light at the end of the tunnel is the finish line.
-
Is there any light at the end of the tunnel for peace in the Middle East?
Academic text (2002) -
I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Blog text (27) -
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and you will make it through college.
Blog text (20) -
We still have a ways to go, but I'm thankful to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Blog text (2) -
There's a light at the end of the tunnel.
Synonyms
91
3.4
A positive or hopeful part of a hard situation
48
2.8
A positive part of a hard situation that gives hope
43
3.5
A good thing that comes from a bad situation
1
3.4
Something or someone that brings hope during a difficult time
1
5.8
To begin to feel hope after a long hard time
1
4.1
A small, brief feeling that things may get better
Antonyms
How Hopeful
242
3.9
- Archaic
- Informal
17
3.9
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
light + at + the + end + of + the + tunnel
The phrase evokes a literal image—'light' at the 'end' of a 'tunnel'—that maps quite naturally onto the idea of relief or improvement after difficulty, so a learner who knows the constituent words can often infer the intended meaning. However, the relation is metaphorical and conventionalized rather than strictly compositional, so full understanding may require some exposure; cross-linguistic parallels help but do not make it fully transparent.
Etymology
The idiom light at the end of the tunnel comes from the simple image of walking through a dark tunnel and seeing a light ahead. That sight shows the journey will soon 'end' or 'improve', so the phrase now means a sign that a difficult time is nearly over.