as in endings
the last part of a process or action
the finale to the festivities was a grand display of fireworks
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Recent Examples of finales
Weekend Update co-hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che‘s Joke Swap has become a semi-annual Saturday Night Live tradition and a highlight of NBC program’s Christmas episodes and season finales.
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Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 21 Dec. 2025
The result was one of the most pulse-pounding finales in reality TV history.
—Ew Staff December 5, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Dec. 2025
The finales are just as classic, including a warm carrot cake under soft cream cheese icing that reminds you why the place has such staying power.
—Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Dec. 2025
Typical of season finales, the tension is at an all-time high.
—Shay Spence, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
Nearly half of the total 489 characters, 201 or 41 percent, will not be returning due to cancellations, series finales or character exits.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025
As La Jolla’s three high school football teams head into their regular-season finales this week, The Bishop’s School and La Jolla High School will try to rebound from tough losses, while La Jolla Country Day School aims to keep up its recent momentum.
—La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
Both coconut cake and key lime pie make for fine finales.
—Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
The similarity between season finales is intentional, Bell tells USA TODAY.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finales
Noun
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Janus is the Roman god of doorways, beginnings and endings, and transitions.—
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Aside from the characters’ happy endings, many of the Conformity Gate clues appear in the finale’s graduation scene.—
Noun
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With Rush, that dynamic expands outward, inviting viewers to draw their own conclusions of what deserves to be present or absent.—
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The national Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank, cautioned analysts not to read too much into the homicide figures and not to draw conclusions without more information.—
Noun
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Full moons are culminations — don’t forget to pause and see what’s already come full circle before rushing into more.—
Cite this Entry
“Finales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finales. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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