Word.ws English Dictionary

be-all end-all

be-all end-all is the alternative form of be-all and end-all.

Meaning of be-all and end-all

Noun

be-all and end-all (plural be-alls and end-alls)

  1. (idiomatic) Something considered to be of the utmost importance; something essential or ultimate.
    • He thought that cars were the be-all and end-all of life.

Questions about be-all end-all

What is be-all end-all the alternative form of?
Be-all end-all is the alternative form of be-all and end-all.

Words near be-all end-all in the dictionary

  1. be'est
  2. be'st
  3. be-
  4. be-all
  5. be-all and end-all
  6. be-all end-all
  7. be-alls
  8. be-alls and end-alls
  9. be-bearded
  10. be-bonneted
  11. be-bonnetted

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: be-all end-all (page history and authors); be-all and end-all (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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