final

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

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

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Pertaining to the end or conclusion; ultimate; conclusive; last: as, the final issue or event of things; a final effort.
2. Respecting the end or object to be gained; having regard to the purpose or ultimate end in view. See cause, 1.
3. In law: Precluding further controversy on the questions passed upon: as, a statute declaring that the decision of a specified court shall be final.
4. Precluding further controversy on the questions passed upon, except by way of appeal: as, a final accounting by an executor or administrator—that is, an account which has been adjudicated after hearing, or opportunity for objections, as distinguished from a voluntary or unadjudicated account.
5. Determining completely the rights of the parties, so that no further decision upon the merits of the issues is necessary: as, a final judgment or decree—that is, one that is ready for execution, or for review by an appellate court, as distinguished from an interlocutory judgment or decree, or one that is preliminary to a further hearing and decision on details, before its execution or review by appeal.
6. Synonyms Final, Eventual, Ultimate, Conclusive. Final, coming at the end or at last, marks mainly the circumstance of being the last or at the last. Eventual has reference rather more to the outcome of events. Ultimate is like eventual in that respect: an ultimate object is that to which all one's actions tend as their aim and crowning point; in this sense it is a sort of superlative, with ulterior as the corresponding comparative. Conclusive, like decisive, is active; it means final by closing or settling, putting a stop to any further question or procedure: as, a conclusive argument, step, decision.
7. n. That which is last; that which forms an end or termination; specifically, in Gregorian music, the tone in each mode with which melodies must end: in authentic modes the lowest tone, and in plagal modes the fourth tone from the bottom. The final corresponds in part to the modern key-note or tonic.

Wiktionary

1. n. followed by "one" The ending, the last.
2. n. US A final examination; a test or examination given at the end of a term or class; the test that concludes a class.
3. n. sports The last round, game or match in a contest, after which the winner is determined.
4. n. A contest that narrows a field of contestants (finalists) to ranked positions, usually in numbered places (1st place/prize, 2nd place/prize, etc.) or a winner and numbered runners-up (1st runner-up, etc.).
5. n. phonology the final part of a syllable, the combination of medial and rime in phonetics and phonology.
6. adj. last; ultimate.
7. adj. Conclusive; decisive.
8. adj. Respecting an end or object to be gained; respecting the purpose or ultimate end in view
9. adj. linguistics word-final, occurring at the end of a word.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Pertaining to the end or conclusion; last; terminating; ultimate.
2. adj. Conclusive; decisive.
3. adj. Respecting an end or object to be gained; respecting the purpose or ultimate end in view.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. not to be altered or undone
2. n. the final match between the winners of all previous matches in an elimination tournament
3. n. an examination administered at the end of an academic term
4. adj. conclusive in a process or progression
5. adj. occurring at or forming an end or termination