# ring down the curtain

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/ring-down-the-curtain
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To end something.

## Examples

- It is time to ring down the curtain on this project.
- We ring down the curtain on our summer holiday tomorrow.
- They ring down the curtain on the festival with a big firework show.
- After twenty years of successful business, the owners decided to ring down the curtain on their local shop.
- The band played one last song to ring down the curtain on their final world tour.
- The coach decided to ring down the curtain on his career after the team won the championship.
- The president's final speech to the nation will ring down the curtain on four years of intense political debate and social change.
- The sudden resignation of the director served to ring down the curtain on an era of unprecedented growth and innovation for the struggling company.

## Origin

Derived from the theatrical practice of ringing a bell to signal the stagehands to lower the curtain at the conclusion of a performance. The signal ensured the mechanical transition occurred in unison with the actors' final movements, mirroring the phrase ring up the curtain used for the commencement of the play.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.