English Reference
Idiom idiom

living end


The most extreme form of something or the final and most impactful development in a series of events — whether favorable or unfavorable

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

That loud noise is the living end.

CONTEXTUAL

The service at this restaurant is the living end, so I am never coming back here again.

COMPLEX

After the company announced both the sudden layoffs and the cancellation of the project, the staff agreed that the situation was truly the living end.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all ends up

    Completely; totally.

  2. 02

    arse end of nowhere

    A very remote place.

  3. 03

    big end of town

    The top end of town.

  4. 04

    bitter end

    The end of a long and difficult process.

  5. 05

    burn the candle at both ends

    To work hard night and day; to sleep late and wake up early; to overwork or overexert oneself.

  6. 06

    business end

    The part of an object (chiefly a tool or weapon) that is physically used for its operation, rather than some other part such as the part by which it is held.

  7. 07

    come to a sticky end

    To die unpleasantly due to one's actions.

  8. 08

    come to an end

    To stop; to cease; to no longer continue.

Last updated August 10, 2026