50 Idioms for Ending Something With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Ending Something
1. Call it a day
Meaning: To stop doing something, usually because you feel it is time to finish.
In a Sentence: After cleaning the house for hours, Mom said, “Let’s call it a day.” / The coach told the team, “We’ve practiced enough. Let’s call it a day.”
Other Ways to Say: Wrap it up. End for now.
2. Put an end to
Meaning: To stop something permanently.
In a Sentence: The school put an end to running in the hallways. / The mayor decided to put an end to unnecessary spending.
Other Ways to Say: Stop for good. Finish permanently.
3. Draw the line
Meaning: To set a limit and refuse to continue.
In a Sentence: I’ll help you move, but I draw the line at painting your entire house.
Other Ways to Say: Set boundaries. Refuse to go further.
4. Close the book on
Meaning: To conclude or finish something completely.
In a Sentence: It’s time to close the book on this case. / She finally closed the book on that chapter of her life.
Other Ways to Say: Finish. Move on.
5. Kick the habit
Meaning: To stop a bad or unwanted routine.
In a Sentence: After years of smoking, John finally kicked the habit.
Other Ways to Say: Quit. Give it up.
6. Bring down the curtain
Meaning: To end or conclude, especially something dramatic.
In a Sentence: The tragedy brought down the curtain on their relationship.
Other Ways to Say: End dramatically. Final act.
7. Put a lid on
Meaning: To stop or control something.
In a Sentence: The teacher put a lid on the noisy class.
Other Ways to Say: Shut it down. Control.
8. Cut it short
Meaning: To end something earlier than expected.
In a Sentence: We had to cut our trip short due to bad weather.
Other Ways to Say: End early. Wrap up quickly.
9. Wind things up
Meaning: To finish something.
In a Sentence: Let’s wind things up so we can go home.
Other Ways to Say: Wrap up. Conclude.
10. Pull the plug
Meaning: To stop or cancel a project or activity.
In a Sentence: They pulled the plug on the event due to low interest.
Other Ways to Say: Cancel. Shut down.
11. Hang it up
Meaning: To retire or stop doing something permanently.
In a Sentence: After 40 years, he decided to hang it up and enjoy retirement.
Other Ways to Say: Retire. Step away.
12. Put something to rest
Meaning: To settle or conclude an issue.
In a Sentence: The evidence finally put the rumors to rest.
Other Ways to Say: Resolve. End speculation.
13. End of the road
Meaning: A final stopping point.
In a Sentence: When the company went bankrupt, it was the end of the road for their dreams.
Other Ways to Say: Final stage. No further progress.
14. Bite the dust
Meaning: To end or fail, often suddenly.
In a Sentence: Another small business bit the dust last week.
Other Ways to Say: Collapse. Shut down.
15. Throw in the towel
Meaning: To give up or stop trying.
In a Sentence: After several attempts, she threw in the towel.
Other Ways to Say: Quit. Surrender.
16. Say goodbye to
Meaning: To part with or end something.
In a Sentence: She said goodbye to her old car.
Other Ways to Say: Leave behind. Let go.
17. Break off
Meaning: To stop or interrupt something.
In a Sentence: They broke off their engagement last month.
Other Ways to Say: Cancel. Terminate.
18. Pull out
Meaning: To withdraw or end participation.
In a Sentence: The country pulled out of the peace talks.
Other Ways to Say: Withdraw. Exit.
19. Phase out
Meaning: To gradually stop using or doing something.
In a Sentence: The old machines were phased out over time.
Other Ways to Say: Retire slowly. Eliminate step by step.
20. Give it a rest
Meaning: To stop doing or talking about something.
In a Sentence: Can you give it a rest with the same joke?
Other Ways to Say: Stop. Drop the topic.
21. Close the book on
Meaning: To finish or stop dealing with something completely.
In a Sentence: After years of investigation, the police decided to close the book on the case. / I’ve decided to close the book on that chapter of my life.
Other Ways to Say: Move on. End officially.
22. Let it go
Meaning: To stop being upset or holding on to something emotionally or mentally.
In a Sentence: After the argument, she finally decided to let it go. / You need to let it go and move forward.
Other Ways to Say: Release it. Move on emotionally.
23. Put it to rest
Meaning: To end a discussion or issue permanently.
In a Sentence: Let’s put this rumor to rest once and for all. / The director’s statement put the debate to rest.
Other Ways to Say: Settle it. Finish the issue.
24. Seal the deal
Meaning: To finalize or complete something successfully.
In a Sentence: The handshake sealed the deal on the contract. / Her final words sealed the deal on their breakup.
Other Ways to Say: Finalize it. Make it official.
25. Cross the finish line
Meaning: To complete a task or project.
In a Sentence: After months of work, we finally crossed the finish line on the new website. / She felt proud to cross the finish line of her education.
Other Ways to Say: Complete it. Bring it to a close.
26. The curtain falls
Meaning: The end of an event or situation, often dramatically.
In a Sentence: The curtain falls on their long-running partnership. / As the curtain falls, we say goodbye to an era.
Other Ways to Say: Final act. Dramatic ending.
27. Draw the line
Meaning: To stop a situation or set a boundary.
In a Sentence: I draw the line at working overtime every weekend. / It’s time to draw the line on wasteful habits.
Other Ways to Say: Set a limit. Say enough.
28. Drop the mic
Meaning: To end a performance or argument with a powerful point.
In a Sentence: His last remark really dropped the mic in the meeting. / She dropped the mic with her final words.
Other Ways to Say: Make a strong finish. End with style.
29. Shut down
Meaning: To close or stop something from operating.
In a Sentence: The factory shut down after 50 years of business. / They had to shut down the website due to technical issues.
Other Ways to Say: Close. Power off.
30. Kill it
Meaning: To stop something completely, often suddenly.
In a Sentence: The director killed the project after budget issues. / Let’s kill the plan before it causes more problems.
Other Ways to Say: Cancel it. End abruptly.
31. All good things must come to an end
Meaning: Nothing lasts forever, even enjoyable things.
In a Sentence: The vacation was great, but all good things must come to an end. / Their winning streak finally ended—after all, all good things must come to an end.
Other Ways to Say: Every ending is natural. Enjoy it while it lasts.
32. Nail the coffin shut
Meaning: To make something’s end final and irreversible.
In a Sentence: That scandal nailed the coffin shut on his political career. / Their bad review nailed the coffin shut on the product launch.
Other Ways to Say: Seal its fate. Final blow.
33. Pack it in
Meaning: To stop doing something, often out of frustration or tiredness.
In a Sentence: I’ve tried enough times—I’m packing it in. / After three failed attempts, we packed it in.
Other Ways to Say: Quit. Give up.
34. Curtains for
Meaning: The end or death of something.
In a Sentence: If sales don’t improve, it’ll be curtains for the shop. / It’s curtains for that project—it’s not going anywhere.
Other Ways to Say: Over. Done for.
35. Walk away from
Meaning: To end something and leave it behind.
In a Sentence: He walked away from the deal at the last moment. / I had to walk away from that toxic friendship.
Other Ways to Say: Leave it. End and move on.
36. Hit the brakes
Meaning: To stop something quickly.
In a Sentence: We had to hit the brakes on the expansion plan. / His sudden change of heart hit the brakes on their relationshi
37. Final nail in the coffin
Meaning: The last event that ends something completely.
In a Sentence: Losing their biggest client was the final nail in the coffin. / The bad press was the final nail in the coffin for the product.
Other Ways to Say: Ultimate end. Last straw.
38. Wash your hands of it
Meaning: To stop being involved with something.
In a Sentence: She washed her hands of the entire situation. / After too much stress, I washed my hands of the project.
Other Ways to Say: Walk away. Remove responsibility.
39. Pull the plug
Meaning: To stop a project or plan suddenly.
In a Sentence: Management pulled the plug on the event due to low interest. / They pulled the plug on the app after bugs appeared.
Other Ways to Say: Cancel. Shut down.
40. End of the road
Meaning: The final point of something.
In a Sentence: It’s the end of the road for our old car. / The business reached the end of the road financially.
Other Ways to Say: No further. Final point.
41. Burn the bridge
Meaning: To end something permanently and with no chance of return.
In a Sentence: He burned the bridge with his rude resignation letter. / I don’t want to burn the bridge, so I’ll leave politely.
Other Ways to Say: Sever ties. End harshly.
42. Drop out
Meaning: To leave or quit something before completing it.
In a Sentence: He dropped out of college in his second year. / She dropped out of the competition after the first round.
Other Ways to Say: Quit. Withdraw.
43. Time’s up
Meaning: The time limit has ended.
In a Sentence: Time’s up—put your pencils down. / Time’s up on the old contract.
Other Ways to Say: End of time. Deadline reached.
44. Get the axe
Meaning: To be ended or fired suddenly.
In a Sentence: Three employees got the axe last week. / The show got the axe after two seasons.
Other Ways to Say: Terminated. Canceled.
45. Go south
Meaning: To fail or deteriorate.
In a Sentence: Our plans went south after the weather changed. / His mood went south during the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Collapse. Fall apart.
46. Fade away
Meaning: To end slowly over time.
In a Sentence: The music slowly faded away. / Our friendship just faded away over the years.
Other Ways to Say: Disappear. Diminish.
47. Say goodbye to
Meaning: To part with or end something.
In a Sentence: Say goodbye to those old habits. / I had to say goodbye to my first car.
Other Ways to Say: Let go of. Part ways.
48. Lights out
Meaning: The end, especially of life or activity.
In a Sentence: It’s lights out for that broken-down machine. / When the power went out, it was lights out for the party.
Other Ways to Say: End. Over.
49. Ring down the curtain
Meaning: To bring a performance or event to an end.
In a Sentence: The band rang down the curtain on their final tour. / Let’s ring down the curtain and move on to the next act.
Other Ways to Say: End the show. Conclude.
50. Wrap things up
Meaning: To bring something to a close.
In a Sentence: Let’s wrap things up before lunchtime. / The teacher wrapped things up with a summary.
Other Ways to Say: Finish. End completely.
