conclusion

/kənˈkluʒən/

/kənˈkluʒən/

Other forms: conclusions

A conclusion is the last part of something, its end or result. When you write a paper, you always end by summing up your arguments and drawing a conclusion about what you've been writing about.

The phrase in conclusion means "finally, to sum up," and is used to introduce some final comments at the end of a speech or piece of writing. The phrase jump to conclusions means "to come to a judgment without enough evidence." A foregone conclusion is an outcome that seems certain.

Definitions of conclusion

1. noun

   a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
   “his conclusion took the evidence into account”

   synonyms: decision, determination, verdict

   types:

   predetermination

   a mental determination or resolve in advance; an antecedent intention to do something

   type of:

   judgement, judgment, mind

   an opinion formed by judging something
2. noun

   the proposition arrived at by logical reasoning (such as the proposition that must follow from the major and minor premises of a syllogism)
   synonyms: ratiocination

   type of:

   proposition

   (logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
3. noun

   an intuitive assumption
   “jump to a conclusion”

   types:

   non sequitur

   (logic) a conclusion that does not follow from the premises

   type of:

   assumption, supposal, supposition

   a hypothesis that is taken for granted
4. noun

   the act of making up your mind about something
   “he drew his conclusions quickly”

   synonyms: decision, determination

   types:

   appointment, assignment, designation, naming

   the act of putting a person into a non-elective position

   call

   (sports) the decision made by an umpire or referee

   move

   the act of deciding to do something

   casting lots, drawing lots, sortition

   making a chance decision by using lots (straws or pebbles etc.) that are thrown or drawn

   resolution

   a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner

   nomination

   the act of officially naming a candidate

   co-optation, co-option

   the act of appointing summarily (with or without the appointee's consent)

   delegacy

   the appointment of a delegate

   ordinance, ordination

   the act of ordaining; the act of conferring (or receiving) holy orders

   recognition

   designation by the chair granting a person the right to speak in a deliberative body

   demarche

   a move or step or maneuver in political or diplomatic affairs

   maneuver, manoeuvre, tactical maneuver, tactical manoeuvre

   a move made to gain a tactical end

   type of:

   choice, option, pick, selection

   the act of choosing or selecting
5. noun

   the temporal end; the concluding time
   synonyms: close, finale, finis, finish, last, stopping point

   type of:

   end, ending

   the point in time at which something ends
6. noun

   the act of ending something
   synonyms: ending, termination

   types:

   abort

   the act of terminating a project or procedure before it is completed

   demonetisation, demonetization

   ending something (e.g. gold or silver) as no longer the legal tender of a country

   release, tone ending

   (music) the act or manner of terminating a musical phrase or tone

   closing, completion, culmination, mop up, windup

   a concluding action

   retirement

   withdrawal from your position or occupation

   relinquishing, relinquishment

   the act of giving up and abandoning a struggle or task etc.

   breakup, dissolution

   the termination or disintegration of a relationship (between persons or nations)

   overthrow

   the termination of a ruler or institution (especially by force)

   adjournment, dissolution

   the termination of a meeting

   discharge, dismissal, dismission, firing, heave-ho, liberation, release, sack, sacking

   the termination of someone's employment (leaving them free to depart)

   destruction, devastation

   the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists

   kill, killing, putting to death

   the act of terminating a life

   abolishment, abolition

   the act of abolishing a system or practice or institution (especially abolishing slavery)

   liquidation, settlement

   termination of a business operation by using its assets to discharge its liabilities

   drug withdrawal, withdrawal

   the termination of drug taking

   closedown, closing, closure, shutdown

   termination of operations

   extinction, extinguishing, quenching

   the act of extinguishing; causing to stop burning

   disappearance, fade

   gradually ceasing to be visible

   abortion

   termination of pregnancy

   deactivation, defusing

   the act of deactivating or making ineffective (as a bomb)

   discontinuance, discontinuation

   the act of discontinuing or breaking off; an interruption (temporary or permanent)

   consummation

   the act of bringing to completion or fruition

   consummation

   the completion of marriage by sexual intercourse

   superannuation

   the act of discharging someone because of age (especially to cause someone to retire from service on a pension)

   finish, finishing

   the act of finishing

   finalisation, finalization

   the act of finalizing

   follow-through

   carrying some project or intention to full completion

   follow-through

   the act of carrying a stroke to its natural completion

   graduation

   the successful completion of a program of study

   hibernation

   the act of retiring into inactivity

   rustication

   the action of retiring to and living in the country

   ceding, cession

   the act of ceding

   handover

   act of relinquishing property or authority etc

   discharge, release, waiver

   a formal written statement of relinquishment

   splitsville

   separation or breakup or divorce

   subversion, subversive activity

   the act of subverting; as overthrowing or destroying a legally constituted government

   conge, congee

   an abrupt and unceremonious dismissal

   removal

   dismissal from office

   disaster

   an act that has disastrous consequences

   kill

   the destruction of an enemy plane or ship or tank or missile

   laying waste, ruin, ruination, ruining, wrecking

   destruction achieved by causing something to be wrecked or ruined

   demolishing, leveling, razing, tearing down

   complete destruction of a building

   annihilation, obliteration

   destruction by annihilating something

   decimation

   the destruction or killing of a large part of the population (literally every tenth person as chosen by lot)

   coup de grace, deathblow

   the blow that kills (usually mercifully)

   death

   the act of killing

   euthanasia, mercy killing

   the act of killing someone painlessly (especially someone suffering from an incurable illness)

   homicide

   the killing of a human being by another human being

   despatch, dispatch

   killing a person or animal

   fell

   the act of felling something (as a tree)

   self-annihilation, self-destruction, suicide

   the act of killing yourself

   self-destruction

   the act of destroying yourself

   slaughter

   the killing of animals (as for food)

   poisoning

   the act of giving poison to a person or animal with the intent to kill

   asphyxiation, suffocation

   killing by depriving of oxygen

   ritual killing, sacrifice

   the act of killing (an animal or person) in order to propitiate a deity

   electrocution

   killing by electric shock

   beheading, decapitation

   killing by cutting off the head

   viatical settlement, viaticus settlement

   sale of an insurance policy by a terminally ill policy holder

   cold turkey

   complete and abrupt withdrawal of all addictive drugs or anything else on which you have become dependent

   plant closing

   act of shutting down operation of a plant

   bank closing

   act of closing down a bank because of a fiscal emergency or failure

   layoff

   the act of laying off an employee or a work force

   miscarriage, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth

   a natural loss of the products of conception

   induced abortion

   a deliberate termination of pregnancy

   deactivation, inactivation

   breaking up a military unit (by transfers or discharges)

   honorable discharge

   a discharge from the armed forces with a commendable record

   dishonorable discharge

   a discharge from the armed forces for a grave offense (as sabotage or espionage or cowardice or murder)

   Section Eight

   a discharge from the US Army based on unfitness or character traits deemed undesirable

   neutralisation, neutralization

   (euphemism) the removal of a threat by killing or destroying it (especially in a covert operation or military operation)

   disfranchisement

   the discontinuation of rights; especially the discontinuation of the right to vote

   disinheritance

   the act by a donor that terminates the right of a person to inherit

   phase-out

   the act or instance of a planned discontinuation

   prorogation

   discontinuation of the meeting (of a legislative body) without dissolving it

   annulment, invalidation

   (law) a formal termination (of a relationship or a judicial proceeding etc)

   sabotage

   a deliberate act of destruction or disruption in which equipment is damaged

   extermination, liquidation

   the act of exterminating

   genocide, race murder, racial extermination

   systematic killing of a racial or cultural group

   holocaust

   an act of mass destruction and loss of life (especially in war or by fire)

   demolition

   the act of demolishing

   spoliation

   (law) the intentional destruction of a document or an alteration of it that destroys its value as evidence

   hooliganism, malicious mischief, vandalism

   willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others

   dismount

   the act of dismounting (a horse or bike etc.)

   explosion, plosion

   the terminal forced release of pressure built up during the occlusive phase of a stop consonant

   type of:

   change of state

   the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics
7. noun

   event whose occurrence ends something
   synonyms: ending, finish

   types:

   end, final stage, last

   the concluding parts of an event or occurrence

   final result, outcome, result, resultant, termination

   something that results

   foregone conclusion, matter of course

   an inevitable ending

   demolition, destruction, wipeout

   an event (or the result of an event) that completely destroys something

   Z, omega

   the ending of a series or sequence

   halt, kibosh, stop

   the event of something ending

   triumph, victory

   a successful ending of a struggle or contest

   defeat, licking

   an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest

   end game, endgame

   the final stages of a chess game after most of the pieces have been removed from the board

   end game, endgame

   the final stages of an extended process of negotiation

   homestretch

   the end of an enterprise

   passing

   the end of something

   denouement

   the outcome of a complex sequence of events

   deal

   the type of treatment received (especially as the result of an agreement)

   decision

   the outcome of a game or contest

   decision

   (boxing) a victory won on points when no knockout has occurred

   aftermath, consequence

   the outcome of an event especially as relative to an individual

   just deserts, poetic justice

   an outcome in which virtue triumphs over vice (often ironically)

   separation

   the termination of employment (by resignation or dismissal)

   sequel, subsequence

   something that follows something else

   worst

   the least favorable outcome

   annihilation, disintegration

   total destruction

   eradication, obliteration

   the complete destruction of every trace of something

   depredation, ravage

   (usually plural) a destructive action

   razing, wrecking

   the event of a structure being completely demolished and leveled

   ruin, ruination

   an event that results in destruction

   rack, wrack

   the destruction or collapse of something

   win

   a victory (as in a race or other competition)

   cessation, surcease

   a stopping

   stand, standstill, tie-up

   an interruption of normal activity

   fall, pin

   when a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat

   independence

   the successful ending of the American Revolution

   landslide

   an overwhelming electoral victory

   last laugh

   ultimate success achieved after a near failure (inspired by the saying `he laughs best who laughs last')

   Pyrrhic victory

   a victory that is won by incurring terrible losses

   slam, sweep

   winning all or all but one of the tricks in bridge

   checkmate

   complete victory

   blowout, laugher, romp, runaway, shoo-in, walkaway

   an easy victory

   service break

   a tennis game won on the opponent's service

   walk-in, waltz

   an assured victory (especially in an election)

   heartbreaker

   a narrow defeat or a defeat at the last minute

   lurch

   a decisive defeat in a game (especially in cribbage)

   rout

   an overwhelming defeat

   shutout, skunk

   a defeat in a game where one side fails to score

   debacle, drubbing, slaughter, thrashing, trouncing, walloping, whipping

   a sound defeat

   waterloo

   a final crushing defeat

   whitewash

   a defeat in which the losing person or team fails to score

   type of:

   happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent

   an event that happens
8. noun

   a final settlement
   “the conclusion of a business deal”

   “the conclusion of the peace treaty”

   type of:

   settlement

   a conclusive resolution of a matter and disposition of it
9. noun

   the last section of a communication
   “in conclusion I want to say...”

   synonyms: close, closing, end, ending

   types:

   anticlimax, bathos

   a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one

   afterword, epilog, epilogue

   a short section added at the end of a literary work

   epilog, epilogue

   a short speech (often in verse) addressed directly to the audience by an actor at the end of a play

   peroration

   (rhetoric) the concluding section of an oration

   coda, finale

   the closing section of a musical composition

   type of:

   section, subdivision

   a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)