endgame

/ˈendɡeɪm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈendɡeɪm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈen(d)-ˌgām/ (ame, mw)

endgame — noun

  • endgamesingular
  • endgamesplural

1. the closing phase of a long process such as a negotiation, election campaign, or

1.名詞B2
釋義

the closing phase of a long process such as a negotiation, election campaign, or business plan, when the remaining decisions will fix the outcome.

例句

Tunde said the trade talks had finally reached their endgame after eleven months.

collocation: reach the endgame

In the endgame of the merger, two senior lawyers worked through every weekend.

fixed phrase: in the endgame of [N]

同義詞
  • final stage

    neutral and very common; works in almost any process

  • closing phase

    slightly more formal; common in business reports

  • denouement

    literary; mostly used for stories or dramatic events

反義詞

文法句型

the endgame of [process/event]

in the endgame

用法筆記

Often used in business, politics, and military contexts. Frequently appears after 'the' with a process noun ('the endgame of the war'). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense covers any extended process; sense 2 is restricted to chess.

常見錯誤

❌We are in the endgame of the meeting' (a single short meeting is too small).
✅We are in the endgame of the year-long negotiation.
💡'endgame' fits long processes, not brief events.

2. the part of a chess match that begins after most pieces have been captured, wher

2.名詞B2
釋義

the part of a chess match that begins after most pieces have been captured, where the kings and a few remaining pieces decide who wins.

例句

Minho lost a difficult endgame when his only rook was trapped near the edge.

lose / win an endgame

The chess coach told Sofia to study one endgame every night for six months.

study / practise the endgame

同義詞
  • ending

    the standard alternative term used in chess books

  • final stage

    general phrase that also works for chess

反義詞
  • opening

    the first phase of a chess game, before move twenty

  • middlegame

    the phase between opening and endgame

文法句型

the endgame of [a chess game]

play the endgame

用法筆記

Specific to chess (and by analogy, other strategy games). Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names a phase of an actual chess match defined by piece count; sense 1 is a metaphor for long real-world processes.

常見錯誤

❌The endgame began after fifteen moves' (too early; pieces are still on the board).
✅The endgame began once most pieces had been captured.
💡the chess endgame is defined by reduced material, not move number.