Come to an end means to finish, to draw to a close. It's used for something that has lasted for a while: a holiday, a contract, a school year, a long argument.
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something + comes to an end; come to the end of + something; put an end to + something
- The conference came to an end with a short speech from the director.
- My contract comes to an end in March, so I'm looking for a new job.
- The summer holidays always come to an end too quickly for the kids.
What changed
First versionOur English course came to the end last week.
RevisionOur English course came to an end last week.
The word the slips in out of habit: the end appears all the time in at the end, in the end, the end of the film. But come to the end needs to continue with of: we came to the end of the book, meaning we finished reading it. To say that the course itself finished, you need an: came to an end.
Come to an end means something finished on its own, in its natural course. If someone stopped it on purpose, people say put an end to: The new manager put an end to the endless meetings.
Your turn
After three busy years, the project finally ___ last month, and the team celebrated.
Show the answer
came to an end — The project finished on its own after three years, and nothing after the gap says what it reached the end of. So came to an end. Came to the end without of sounds cut off.
Write about something that came to an end recently: a course, a season or a project. Say when it ended and how you felt.
My evening Spanish course came to an end in June, and I felt a bit sad because I had made good friends there.
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