40 to be at your wits' end → see wit
▸ end up
1 PHRASAL VERB If someone or something ends up somewhere, they eventually arrive there, usually by accident. □ [V P prep/adv] She fled with her children, ending up in a shelter.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you end up doing something or end up in a particular state, you do that thing or get into that state even though you did not originally intend to. □ [V P v-ing] If you don't know what you want, you might end up getting something you don't want. □ [V P prep/adv] Every time they went dancing they ended up in a bad mood. □ [V P n] She could have ended up a millionairess. SYNONYMS end NOUN 1
close: As 1999 draws to a close, the story is changing.
finish: I intend to continue it and see the job through to the finish.
ending: The film has a Hollywood happy ending.
stop: His daughter should have stood up and put a stop to all these rumours. VERB 2
finish: The teaching day finishes at around 4pm.
stop: The music stopped and the lights were turned up.
halt: He criticised the government for failing to halt economic decline.
cease: At one o'clock the rain had ceased.
terminate: Her next remark abruptly terminated the conversation.
en|dan|ger / I nde I ndʒə r / (endangers , endangering , endangered ) VERB To endanger something or someone means to put them in a situation where they might be harmed or destroyed completely. □ [V n] The debate could endanger the proposed peace talks. □ [V -ed] …endangered species such as lynx and wolf.
en|dear / I nd I ə r / (endears , endearing , endeared ) VERB If something endears you to someone or if you endear yourself to them, you become popular with them and well liked by them. □ [V n + to ] Their taste for gambling has endeared them to Las Vegas casino owners. □ [V pron-refl + to ] He has endeared himself to the American public.
en|dear|ing / I nd I ə r I ŋ/ ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you describe someone's behaviour as endearing , you mean that it causes you to feel very fond of them. □ She has such an endearing personality. □ Henry's lisp is so endearing. ● en|dear|ing|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] □ He admits endearingly to doubts and hesitations. □ She is endearingly free of pretensions.
en|dear|ment / I nd I ə r mənt/ (endearments ) N‑VAR An endearment is a loving or affectionate word or phrase that you say to someone you love. □ No term of endearment crossed their lips. □ …flattering endearments.
en|deav|our / I nde və r / (endeavours , endeavouring , endeavoured ) in AM, use endeavor 1 VERB If you endeavour to do something, you try very hard to do it. [FORMAL ] □ [V to-inf] I will endeavour to arrange it.
2 N‑VAR [oft N to-inf] An endeavour is an attempt to do something, especially something new or original. [FORMAL ] □ His first endeavours in the field were wedding films.
en|dem|ic /ende m I k/
1 ADJ If a disease or illness is endemic in a place, it is frequently found among the people who live there. [TECHNICAL ] □ Polio was then endemic among children my age.
2 ADJ If you say that a condition or problem is endemic , you mean that it is very common and strong, and cannot be dealt with easily. [WRITTEN ] □ Street crime is virtually endemic in large cities. □ Ambition often stems from endemic dissatisfaction.
end|game /e ndge I m/ (endgames )
1 N‑VAR In chess, endgame refers to the final stage of a game, when only a few pieces are left on the board and one of the players must win soon.
2 N‑COUNT Journalists sometimes refer to the final stages of something such as a war, dispute, or contest, as an endgame . [JOURNALISM ] □ The political endgame is getting closer.
end|ing ◆◇◇ /e nd I ŋ/ (endings )
1 N‑COUNT You can refer to the last part of a book, story, play, or film as the ending , especially when you are considering the way that the story ends. □ The film has a Hollywood happy ending.
2 N‑COUNT The ending of a word is the last part of it. □ …common word endings, like 'ing' in walking.
3 → see also end , nerve ending
en|dive /e nd I v, [AM ] -da I v/ (endives )
1 N‑VAR Endive is a type of plant with crisp curly leaves that is eaten in salads.
2 N‑VAR Endive is a type of a plant with crisp bitter leaves that can be cooked or eaten raw in salads. [AM ] in BRIT, use chicory
end|less /e ndləs/ ADJ If you say that something is endless , you mean that it is very large or lasts for a very long time, and it seems as if it will never stop. □ They turned into an endless street. □ The war was endless. ● end|less|ly ADV [ADV after v, ADV adj] □ They talk about it endlessly. □ …endlessly long arcades of shops.
endo|crine /e ndəkra I n/ ADJ [ADJ n] The endocrine system is the system of glands that produce hormones which go directly into the bloodstream, such as the pituitary or thyroid glands. [MEDICAL ]
en|dorse / I ndɔː r s/ (endorses , endorsing , endorsed )
1 VERB If you endorse someone or something, you say publicly that you support or approve of them. □ [V n] I can endorse their opinion wholeheartedly.