End means the final part of something, the point where it stops or finishes. When you reach the end of a book, there are no more pages to read. The end of summer means school is about to start again. Every story, every journey, every game has an end.

The word can also mean a goal or purpose. The phrase “the ends justify the means” is used to describe people who will do bad things to achieve their goals. An astronomer might study a distant nebula as an end in itself, meaning the knowledge is valuable on its own, not just useful for something else.

As a verb, to end means to bring something to a close. You might end a phone call by saying goodbye, or a teacher might end class when the bell rings. A war ends when peace is declared.

The phrase dead end describes a street that doesn't go anywhere, or a situation with no good solution. Loose ends are unfinished parts of a project or story that still need attention. And when something happens for days on end, it continues without stopping for a long stretch of time.