what is conclusion

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Meaning of conclusion in English

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conclusion noun ( LAST PART )

• end This mammal roamed the steppes during the end of the last Ice Age.
• close Stock prices were up 6 percent at the close of the trading day.
• culmination This starring role in a Broadway musical is the culmination of her years of hard work in local theaters.
• completion At the completion of the exam, please return the materials to the proctor's desk and exit the room quietly.
• endpoint Both parties agree that they have reached a suitable endpoint to the negotiations.
• The conclusion of your essay is good, but the final sentence is too long and complicated .
• If we carry this argument to its logical conclusion, we realize that further investment is not a good idea .
• The result of the election seems to be a foregone conclusion.
• The film has a boringly predictable conclusion.
• By this time they had disagreed so fiercely that there was no hope of an amicable conclusion.
• a screeching halt idiom
• accomplishment
• at the close of something
• break something up
• the fag end of something idiom
• the tail end

conclusion noun ( AGREEMENT )

• accommodation
• accreditation
• agree to something
• agree with something
• presumed consent
• ratification
• re-establish
• rise to the bait idiom
• unquestioning
• without a murmur idiom

conclusion noun ( JUDGMENT )

• be make or break for someone/something idiom
• be on the horns of a dilemma idiom
• flip a coin idiom
• get it together idiom
• get something into your head idiom
• hammer something out
• have a, some, etc. say in something idiom
• swing the balance idiom
• take it into your head to do something idiom
• take the plunge idiom

conclusion | Intermediate English

Conclusion noun [c] ( judgment ), conclusion noun [c] ( end ), conclusion | business english, examples of conclusion, collocations with conclusion.

These are words often used in combination with conclusion .

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

Translations of conclusion

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an occasion when a driver in a motor race stops in the pits (= area where cars are repaired)

Apples and oranges (Talking about differences, Part 2)

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• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
• conclusion (LAST PART)
• in conclusion
• conclusion (AGREEMENT)
• conclusion (JUDGMENT)
• conclusion (END)
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[ k uh n- kloo -zh uh n ]

Synonyms: finale , completion , termination , ending

Antonyms: beginning

Synonyms: summation

The restitution payment was one of the conclusions of the negotiations.

The judge has reached his conclusion.

• a reasoned deduction or inference.
• Logic. a proposition concluded or inferred from the premises of an argument.
• the effect of an act by which the person performing the act is bound not to do anything inconsistent therewith; an estoppel.
• the end of a pleading or conveyance.
• Grammar. apodosis .

/ kənˈkluːʒən /

• end or termination
• the last main division of a speech, lecture, essay, etc
• the outcome or result of an act, process, event, etc (esp in the phrase a foregone conclusion )
• a final decision or judgment; resolution (esp in the phrase come to a conclusion )
• a statement that purports to follow from another or others (the premises ) by means of an argument
• a statement that does validly follow from given premises
• an admission or statement binding on the party making it; estoppel
• the close of a pleading or of a conveyance
• in conclusion lastly; to sum up
• jump to conclusions to come to a conclusion prematurely, without sufficient thought or on incomplete evidence

Discover More

Other words from.

• con·clusion·al adjective
• con·clusion·al·ly adverb
• noncon·clusion noun
• precon·clusion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of conclusion 1

Idioms and Phrases

In conclusion, I would like to thank you for your attention.

• try conclusions with , to engage oneself in a struggle for victory or mastery over, as a person or an impediment.

More idioms and phrases containing conclusion

Synonym study, example sentences.

The conclusions were drawn by the majority staff under committee Chairman Peter DeFazio.

It has been a difficult journey for her, but fortunately it has a happy conclusion.

The real conclusion, yet again, is that getting the most bang out of your altitude buck is complicated and highly individual.

Westlake has disputed the conclusions and details of a legislative report that corroborated three women’s complaints that he made unwanted sexual advances.

Local research into police stops has reached similar conclusions.

Was there an investigation of people at DOJ before they arrived at that conclusion?

Editorial and political cartoon pages from throughout the world almost unanimously came to the same conclusion.

Following this line of reasoning to its logical conclusion, the way to achieve world peace is to give everyone atomic bombs.

In that sense, the last Report was mildly unsatisfying as a conclusion, in that it left so much unresolved.

Magnum came into being as a cooperative only two years after the conclusion of World War II.

And the others, not knowing that he had that day repented, sat at their distance and tried to form no conclusion.

The conclusion is reached that, despite these drawbacks, the Jesuit mission in Canada has made a hopeful beginning.

The interest of the story is now at an end; but much yet remains before the conclusion.

How would the involuntary accusation have been embittered, had he known that the Empress drew the same conclusion!

I made the experiment two years ago, and all my experience since has corroborated the conclusion then arrived at.

Related Words

• consequence
• development

More About Conclusion

What is a conclusion .

The conclusion is the final section of an essay. It summarizes the points made in the essay and restates the thesis statement in different words.

Students are usually taught to write an essay in three parts, with the first part being the introduction , followed by the body and ending with a conclusion.

While the introduction is often considered the most important part of an essay, the conclusion is often the trickiest part to write. The goal of the conclusion is to summarize all of the major points of the essay without repeating them word for word.

Articles, opinion pieces, blog posts, research papers, and other types of writing also include conclusions to tie all the points together and emphasize their importance.

Why is conclusion important?

The first records of the word conclusion come from around 1300. It ultimately comes from the Latin verb conclūdere , meaning “to end an argument.”

Just like with introductions, your teacher will likely tell you that the conclusion should only be as long as it needs to be to do its job.

To write a good conclusion , you often begin with a transition and restate your thesis using different wording from the introduction. Next, you’ll repeat the main points you made in the body using the same wording and without introducing any new information or arguments. You can then end your conclusion with a thought-provoking statement or a call to action that demonstrates the importance of the essay’s topic.

The most important job of the conclusion is to tie everything together and to avoid rambling or repeating things that have already been said.

Did you know … ?

Because the conclusion comes last in an essay, writers often write it last. This can make writing the conclusion easier because you know what your introduction and body say.

What are real-life examples of conclusion ?

This image gives an example of how an effective conclusion can be used even in an essay covering a complex subject.

Library.aut.ac.nz

While most students aren’t fans of writing conclusions , they often see them as the finish line of essay writing.

The conclusion to my essay on "Savitri: Some Aspects of Its Style." Ed. RY. Deshpande. Perspectives of Savitri, Part II. pic.twitter.com/bUJCEaAJcn — Goutam Ghosal (@GoutamGhosal3) June 4, 2021

What other words are related to conclusion ?

• introduction
• thesis statement

Quiz yourself!

True or False?

The conclusion repeats the thesis statement and summarizes the main points of the essay.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Conclusions

What this handout is about.

This handout will explain the functions of conclusions, offer strategies for writing effective ones, help you evaluate conclusions you’ve drafted, and suggest approaches to avoid.

About conclusions

Introductions and conclusions can be difficult to write, but they’re worth investing time in. They can have a significant influence on a reader’s experience of your paper.

Just as your introduction acts as a bridge that transports your readers from their own lives into the “place” of your analysis, your conclusion can provide a bridge to help your readers make the transition back to their daily lives. Such a conclusion will help them see why all your analysis and information should matter to them after they put the paper down.

Your conclusion is your chance to have the last word on the subject. The conclusion allows you to have the final say on the issues you have raised in your paper, to synthesize your thoughts, to demonstrate the importance of your ideas, and to propel your reader to a new view of the subject. It is also your opportunity to make a good final impression and to end on a positive note.

Your conclusion can go beyond the confines of the assignment. The conclusion pushes beyond the boundaries of the prompt and allows you to consider broader issues, make new connections, and elaborate on the significance of your findings.

Your conclusion should make your readers glad they read your paper. Your conclusion gives your reader something to take away that will help them see things differently or appreciate your topic in personally relevant ways. It can suggest broader implications that will not only interest your reader, but also enrich your reader’s life in some way. It is your gift to the reader.

Strategies for writing an effective conclusion

One or more of the following strategies may help you write an effective conclusion:

• Play the “So What” Game. If you’re stuck and feel like your conclusion isn’t saying anything new or interesting, ask a friend to read it with you. Whenever you make a statement from your conclusion, ask the friend to say, “So what?” or “Why should anybody care?” Then ponder that question and answer it. Here’s how it might go: You: Basically, I’m just saying that education was important to Douglass. Friend: So what? You: Well, it was important because it was a key to him feeling like a free and equal citizen. Friend: Why should anybody care? You: That’s important because plantation owners tried to keep slaves from being educated so that they could maintain control. When Douglass obtained an education, he undermined that control personally. You can also use this strategy on your own, asking yourself “So What?” as you develop your ideas or your draft.
• Return to the theme or themes in the introduction. This strategy brings the reader full circle. For example, if you begin by describing a scenario, you can end with the same scenario as proof that your essay is helpful in creating a new understanding. You may also refer to the introductory paragraph by using key words or parallel concepts and images that you also used in the introduction.
• Synthesize, don’t summarize. Include a brief summary of the paper’s main points, but don’t simply repeat things that were in your paper. Instead, show your reader how the points you made and the support and examples you used fit together. Pull it all together.
• Include a provocative insight or quotation from the research or reading you did for your paper.
• Propose a course of action, a solution to an issue, or questions for further study. This can redirect your reader’s thought process and help them to apply your info and ideas to their own life or to see the broader implications.
• Point to broader implications. For example, if your paper examines the Greensboro sit-ins or another event in the Civil Rights Movement, you could point out its impact on the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. A paper about the style of writer Virginia Woolf could point to her influence on other writers or on later feminists.

Strategies to avoid

• Beginning with an unnecessary, overused phrase such as “in conclusion,” “in summary,” or “in closing.” Although these phrases can work in speeches, they come across as wooden and trite in writing.
• Stating the thesis for the very first time in the conclusion.
• Introducing a new idea or subtopic in your conclusion.
• Ending with a rephrased thesis statement without any substantive changes.
• Making sentimental, emotional appeals that are out of character with the rest of an analytical paper.
• Including evidence (quotations, statistics, etc.) that should be in the body of the paper.

Four kinds of ineffective conclusions

• The “That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It” Conclusion. This conclusion just restates the thesis and is usually painfully short. It does not push the ideas forward. People write this kind of conclusion when they can’t think of anything else to say. Example: In conclusion, Frederick Douglass was, as we have seen, a pioneer in American education, proving that education was a major force for social change with regard to slavery.
• The “Sherlock Holmes” Conclusion. Sometimes writers will state the thesis for the very first time in the conclusion. You might be tempted to use this strategy if you don’t want to give everything away too early in your paper. You may think it would be more dramatic to keep the reader in the dark until the end and then “wow” them with your main idea, as in a Sherlock Holmes mystery. The reader, however, does not expect a mystery, but an analytical discussion of your topic in an academic style, with the main argument (thesis) stated up front. Example: (After a paper that lists numerous incidents from the book but never says what these incidents reveal about Douglass and his views on education): So, as the evidence above demonstrates, Douglass saw education as a way to undermine the slaveholders’ power and also an important step toward freedom.
• The “America the Beautiful”/”I Am Woman”/”We Shall Overcome” Conclusion. This kind of conclusion usually draws on emotion to make its appeal, but while this emotion and even sentimentality may be very heartfelt, it is usually out of character with the rest of an analytical paper. A more sophisticated commentary, rather than emotional praise, would be a more fitting tribute to the topic. Example: Because of the efforts of fine Americans like Frederick Douglass, countless others have seen the shining beacon of light that is education. His example was a torch that lit the way for others. Frederick Douglass was truly an American hero.
• The “Grab Bag” Conclusion. This kind of conclusion includes extra information that the writer found or thought of but couldn’t integrate into the main paper. You may find it hard to leave out details that you discovered after hours of research and thought, but adding random facts and bits of evidence at the end of an otherwise-well-organized essay can just create confusion. Example: In addition to being an educational pioneer, Frederick Douglass provides an interesting case study for masculinity in the American South. He also offers historians an interesting glimpse into slave resistance when he confronts Covey, the overseer. His relationships with female relatives reveal the importance of family in the slave community.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Douglass, Frederick. 1995. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself. New York: Dover.

Hamilton College. n.d. “Conclusions.” Writing Center. Accessed June 14, 2019. https://www.hamilton.edu//academics/centers/writing/writing-resources/conclusions .

Holewa, Randa. 2004. “Strategies for Writing a Conclusion.” LEO: Literacy Education Online. Last updated February 19, 2004. https://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Definition of conclusion noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• We can safely draw some conclusions from our discussion.
• He arrived at a different conclusion .
• There is abundant evidence to support this conclusion .
• Other studies have yielded the same conclusion .
• The final section summarizes the conclusions of the study.
• conclusion (that)… I've come to the conclusion that he's not the right person for the job.
• New evidence might lead to the conclusion that we are wrong.
• conclusion about/on somebody/something It is too soon to reach any conclusions about voting trends.
• formulate/​advance a theory/​hypothesis
• build/​construct/​create/​develop a simple/​theoretical/​mathematical model
• develop/​establish/​provide/​use a theoretical/​conceptual framework
• advance/​argue/​develop the thesis that…
• explore an idea/​a concept/​a hypothesis
• make a prediction/​an inference
• base a prediction/​your calculations on something
• investigate/​evaluate/​accept/​challenge/​reject a theory/​hypothesis/​model
• design an experiment/​a questionnaire/​a study/​a test
• do research/​an experiment/​an analysis
• make observations/​measurements/​calculations
• carry out/​conduct/​perform an experiment/​a test/​a longitudinal study/​observations/​clinical trials
• run an experiment/​a simulation/​clinical trials
• repeat an experiment/​a test/​an analysis
• replicate a study/​the results/​the findings
• observe/​study/​examine/​investigate/​assess a pattern/​a process/​a behaviour
• fund/​support the research/​project/​study
• seek/​provide/​get/​secure funding for research
• collect/​gather/​extract data/​information
• yield data/​evidence/​similar findings/​the same results
• analyse/​examine the data/​soil samples/​a specimen
• consider/​compare/​interpret the results/​findings
• fit the data/​model
• confirm/​support/​verify a prediction/​a hypothesis/​the results/​the findings
• prove a conjecture/​hypothesis/​theorem
• draw/​make/​reach the same conclusions
• read/​review the records/​literature
• describe/​report an experiment/​a study
• present/​publish/​summarize the results/​findings
• present/​publish/​read/​review/​cite a paper in a scientific journal
• The present findings point to a similar conclusion.
• It is difficult to base a definitive conclusion on their data.
• He bases his conclusions on very limited research.
• How did he reach this startling conclusion?
• I can't draw any conclusions from what she said.
• It all points to the conclusion that nobody knew what was going on.
• It is difficult to draw any firm conclusions at such an early stage.
• Only tentative conclusions can be drawn from these results.
• The data he collected strengthened his conclusions.
• This does not warrant the conclusion that he failed.
• What did you base these conclusions on?

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