finals

finals — noun

1. the important exams that students take at the end of a school term, university y

1.名詞B1
釋義

the important exams that students take at the end of a school term, university year, or whole course, often deciding their overall grade.

例句

Roya stayed up past midnight studying for her chemistry finals next week.

study for + finals (typical collocation)

Vivek passed all five of his university finals with very high marks.

pass + finals

同義詞
反義詞
  • midterms

    exams in the middle of the term, not the end

文法句型

take/sit/study for + finals

pass/fail + finals

用法筆記

Almost always plural and typically takes the definite article 'the'. Distinguish from sense 2 (sports): in school contexts 'finals' means exams; in sports contexts it means the last deciding games.

常見錯誤

❌I have a final tomorrow' (when meaning the exam period).
✅I have finals next week.
💡students refer to the exam period in the plural even if only one paper is on each day.
❌Eve studied for the final exams of mathematics.
✅Eve studied for her math finals.
💡'finals' already implies end-of-course exams, no need to add 'exams'.

2. the last matches in a sports competition, played between the top remaining teams

2.名詞B1
釋義

the last matches in a sports competition, played between the top remaining teams or players to decide the overall winner.

例句

Adisa scored the winning goal in the finals of the school football tournament.

in the finals + of [competition]

Brazil reached the finals after beating Germany in the semi-final round.

reach + the finals

同義詞
  • championship

    names the title at stake; finals is the stage that decides it

  • final round

    more formal phrasing for tournament structure

反義詞

文法句型

reach/win/lose + the finals

play in + the finals

用法筆記

Almost always plural with 'the'. Often paired with the sport name or competition name (the basketball finals, the World Cup finals). Distinguish from sense 1 (exams): sports finals is about deciding a champion, not academic assessment.

常見錯誤

❌Our team went to the final round of finals.
✅Our team reached the finals.
💡'finals' itself already names the deciding stage.
❌Dario won the tennis final yesterday' (when describing the whole concluding stage).
✅Dario won the tennis finals yesterday.
💡use 'finals' when the deciding stage spans multiple matches.