ENGLISH
REFERENCE

at the end of the day

idiom.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

idiom. you use this to introduce the most important fact after you have considered everything else.

idiom. a pragmatic marker used to introduce a final summary or the most significant point of a discussion after weighing various factors.


SIMPLE

At the end of the day, your health is what matters most.

CONTEXTUAL

We discussed many different marketing strategies, but at the end of the day, we just need to sell more products.

COMPLEX

While the technical specifications are impressive, at the end of the day, the consumer's experience with the interface will determine the product's success.

Usage

usually functions as a sentence adverbial, often appearing at the beginning or end of a clause.

Teaching tip

warn students that this is a very common cliché in business and sports; suggest 'ultimately' or 'in the end' as more formal alternatives.

Pitfall

In the end of the day, it is my choice.At the end of the day, it is my choice.the fixed idiom requires the preposition 'at', not 'in'.

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