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Meaning & use

end of the season

phrase·Everyday

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UK/ˌend əv ðə ˈsiːzn/
US/ˌend əv ðə ˈsiːzn/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phrase

    the final part or last few games, shows, or events of a fixed yearly period of activity.

    Grammar: Used as a time phrase, usually after at or by: at the end of the season.

    Patterns

    • at the end of the season
    • by the end of the season
    • toward the end of the season

    Several players will leave the club at the end of the season.

    Ticket prices usually drop toward the end of the season.

    By the end of the season, the show had lost half its viewers.

  2. phrasefixed phrase

    the last stage of a period when a particular activity normally happens, such as hunting or harvesting.

    Grammar: Often used with of plus the activity: the end of the hunting season.

    Patterns

    • the end of the growing season
    • the end of the rainy season

    Farmers here work long hours until the end of the harvest season.

    The roads become difficult at the end of the rainy season.

Common combinations

at the end of the season
Her contract runs out at the end of the season.
by the end of the season
We hope to finish the repairs by the end of the season.
the end of the season approaches
As the end of the season approaches, coaches start planning for next year.
a season finale
Millions watched the season finale last night.
the close of the season
Sales rose sharply at the close of the season.

Synonyms and how they differ

close of the season
More formal and often used in written reports; it fits business or official writing better than everyday speech.
season's end
A shorter, slightly literary version, common in headlines where space is tight.
finale
Used mainly for shows and performances, not for sports leagues or farming.

Opposites

start of the seasonbeginning of the season

Word family

season noun
a fixed period of the year for a sport, activity, or type of weather.
seasonal adjective
happening or available only during a certain period of the year.
seasonally adverb
in a way that relates to a particular season.
off-season noun
the period when the usual activity is not happening.

Commonly confused: end of the season or end of season? end of the season or season's end?

end of the season vs end of season

Without "the", this form appears mainly in headlines and labels, for example "End of Season Sale". In normal sentences, keep "the".

end of the season vs season's end

Same meaning, but it sounds more literary or journalistic, so it suits headlines better than conversation.

Practice

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