finally


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finally

in the end; at last; eventually; after considerable delay: After many attempts, she finally got it right.
Not to be confused with:
finale – the concluding part of a performance or proceeding; the last movement of a concert, opera, or composition: The finale was the most exciting part of the symphony.
finality – conclusiveness or decisiveness; something that is final; an ultimate act: She slammed the door behind her with finality.
finely – elegantly; delicately; minutely; nicely; subtly; excellently: a finely crafted story; in fine particles or pieces: finely chopped apples
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

fi·nal

 (fī′nəl)
adj.
1. Forming or occurring at the end; last: the final scene of a film.
2. Of or constituting the end result of a succession or process; ultimate: an act with both an immediate and a final purpose. See Synonyms at last1.
3. Not to be changed or reconsidered; unalterable: The judge's decision is final.
n.
Something that comes at or forms the end, especially:
a. The last or one of the last of a series of contests: the finals of a state spelling bee.
b. The last examination of an academic course.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin fīnālis, from fīnis, end.]

fi′nal·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

finally

(ˈfaɪnəlɪ)
adv
1. after a long delay; at last; eventually
2. at the end or final point; lastly
3. completely; conclusively; irrevocably
sentence connector
4. in the end; lastly: finally, he put his tie on.
5. as the last or final point: linking what follows with the previous statements, as in a speech or argument
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fi•nal•ly

(ˈfaɪn l i)

adv.
1. at the final point or moment.
2. in a final manner; conclusively or decisively.
3. at last; after considerable delay: After three tries, he finally passed his driving test.
[1325–75]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

eventually

finally

Be Careful!
Don't use 'eventually' when you mean that something might be true. Use possibly or perhaps.

Perhaps he'll call later.
1. 'eventually' or 'finally'

When something happens after a lot of delays or problems, you can say that it eventually happens or that it finally happens You use eventually when you want to emphasize that there were a lot of problems. You use finally when you want to emphasize the amount of time it took.

Eventually they got to the hospital.
I found Victoria Avenue eventually.
When John finally arrived, he said he'd lost his way.
2. 'finally'

You can also use finally to show that something happens last in a series of events.

The sky turned red, then purple, and finally black.

Don't use 'eventually' with this meaning, unless you want to emphasize that it happened after a lot of delays or problems.

You can also use finally to introduce a final point, ask a final question, or mention a final item.

Finally, Carol, can you tell us why you want this job?
Combine the flour and the cheese, and finally, add the milk.

Don't use 'eventually' with this meaning.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adv.1.finally - after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
2.finally - as the end result of a succession or processfinally - as the end result of a succession or process; "ultimately he had to give in"; "at long last the winter was over"
3.finally - the item at the end; "last, I'll discuss family values"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

finally

adverb
2. lastly, in the end, ultimately Finally came the dessert trolley
3. in conclusion, lastly, in closing, to conclude, to sum up, in summary Finally, a word or two of advice.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

finally

adverb
1. In conclusion:
2. After a considerable length of time, usually after a delay:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
أَخِيراًأخيراًأخيرا، في النِّهايَه، آخر الأمْرفي النِّهايَه، أخيرا
konečněnakonec
endeligtlangt om længe
viimein
konačno
aî lokum, loksaî lokum, loks; aî síîustu
ついに遂に
마침내
končnonazadnje
slutligen
ในที่สุด
cuối cùng

finally

[ˈfaɪnəlɪ] ADV
1. (= lastly) → por último, finalmente
finally, I would like to saypor último or finalmente, me gustaría añadir ...
2. (= eventually, at last) → por fin
she finally decided to acceptpor fin decidió aceptar
3. (= once and for all) → de manera definitiva
they decided to separate, finally and irrevocablydecidieron separarse de manera definitiva e irrevocable
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

finally

[ˈfaɪnəli] adv
(= in the end) [agree, decide, manage] → finalement
They finally decided to leave on Saturday instead of Friday → Ils ont finalement décidé de partir samedi au lieu de vendredi.
and finally (= and eventually) → et finalement
(= at last) [come, arrive, catch, reach, find] → enfin
(= lastly) → pour finir
Finally, I would like to say → Pour finir, je voudrais dire ...
(= irrevocably) → définitivementfinal whistle n
the final whistle → le coup de sifflet final
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

finally

adv
(= eventually)schließlich; (= at last, expressing relief) → endlich
(= lastly)zum Schluss; (= in conclusion, introducing a final point)abschließend, zum Abschluss; and finally I must say …und abschließend möchte ich sagen
(= definitively) decide, settleendgültig
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

finally

[ˈfaɪnəlɪ] adv (lastly) → alla fine; (in conclusion) → in fine; (eventually) → finalmente; (once and for all) → definitivamente
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

final

(ˈfainl) adjective
1. the very last. the final chapter of the book.
2. (of a decision etc) definite; decided and not to be changed. The judge's decision is final.
noun
the last part of a competition. The first parts of the competition will take place throughout the country, but the final will be in London.
ˈfinally adverb
1. as the last (of many). The soldiers rode past, then came the Royal visitors, and finally the Queen.
2. at last, after a long time. The train finally arrived.
ˈfinalist noun
a person who reaches the final stage in a competition. It was difficult to decide which of the two finalists was the better tennis player.
fiˈnality (-ˈnӕ-) noun
ˈfinalize, ˈfinalise verb
to make a final decision about plans, arrangements etc. We must finalize the arrangements by Friday.
ˌfinaliˈzation, ˌfinaliˈsation noun
ˈfinals noun plural
the last examinations for a university degree etc. I am sitting/taking my finals in June.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

finally

أَخِيراً konečně endeligt schließlich επιτέλους finalmente viimein finalement konačno finalmente ついに 마침내 uiteindelijk endelig ostatecznie finalmente наконец slutligen ในที่สุด sonunda cuối cùng 终于
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Finally he stumbled upon the right combination, and the door swung creakingly open before his astonished eyes.
We had our greatest difficulty with the webbed feet, but even that problem was finally solved, so that when we moved about we did so quite naturally.
The outcome of it was that von Horn finally decided to make an attempt to follow the trail of the creature that the woman had seen, and with this plan in view persuaded Muda Saffir to arrange with the chief of the long-house at which they then were to furnish him with trackers and an escort of warriors, promising them some splendid heads should they be successful in overhauling Bulan and his pack.
It was the one little opening that Dak Kova needed, and hurling himself at the body of his adversary he buried his single mighty tusk in Bar Comas' groin and with a last powerful effort ripped the young jeddak wide open the full length of his body, the great tusk finally wedging in the bones of Bar Comas' jaw.
Finally Governor Belcher gave the chair a cushion of blue damask, with a rich golden fringe.
Finally, at the end of three weeks, on the 14th of April, twelve months after having quitted Tripoli, he reached the town of Ngornou.
When finally the doctor left, he told him that he would have to lie quiet for two months, and that if he went to work before that time he might lame himself for life.
He worked mighty hard mixing all sorts of things together, until finally he evolved a substance that looked like powder.
For a few minutes, the sharp cracking of guns ahead warned them to haste, but finally the reports dwindled to an occasional shot, presently ceasing altogether.
Also do I like to tickle him with a wax-taper, that he may finally let the heavens emerge from ashy-grey twilight.
Toward dawn the next morning they finally reached that much-longed-for country, the Land of Toys.
It was the boy's mother who finally broke the silence.