Meaning & use
to whatever end
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseliteraryformal
no matter what the final result or outcome may be
Grammar: Used as an adverbial phrase, often at the end of a clause.
Patterns
- to whatever end
- follow someone to whatever end
She promised to support him to whatever end.
He followed the cause to whatever end, even when it cost him his friends.
They were determined to continue the journey to whatever end.
Common combinations
- to whatever end
- He stayed loyal to whatever end.
- follow to whatever end
- The soldiers followed their leader to whatever end.
- pursue to whatever end
- She pursued her dream to whatever end.
Synonyms and how they differ
- whatever the outcome
- This means the same but is more neutral and can be used in everyday speech; it is not literary.
- no matter what happens
- This is a more common, conversational way to say the same thing.
Commonly confused: to whatever end or to no end?
to whatever end vs to no end
This means without any result or purpose, as in 'He worried to no end'. It is different from 'to whatever end'.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'to whatever end' correctly:
Choose one answer.
'To whatever end' is a fixed phrase meaning 'no matter the outcome'. The other options treat 'end' as a physical end or a specific time, which does not fit the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to whatever end”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.