How to Use be-all and end-all in a Sentence

be-all and end-all

noun
  • Check out our be-all and end-all list of 2019's back-to-school sales.
    Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 15 Aug. 2019
  • The big man was still the be-all and end-all in the NBA then, both for offense around the rim and defense of it.
    Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 16 July 2017
  • The point is that calories aren’t the be-all and end-all of nutrition.
    Kimberly Truong, SELF, 29 Jan. 2019
  • While DSLRs used to be the be-all and end-all of quality footage, that is no longer the case.
    Gabrielle Hondorp, Popular Mechanics, 25 June 2020
  • This was everything: truly the be-all and end-all of my life.
    Richard A. Lovett, Outside Online, 1 Sep. 2021
  • But for David, meeting Ina Garten, his culinary hero, was his be-all and end-all.
    Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 7 May 2018
  • But professionals agree that the quality of your voice is not the be-all and end-all.
    Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2021
  • In recent decades, the skiwear industry has preached that high-tech synthetics are the be-all and end-all.
    Todd Plummer, WSJ, 4 Feb. 2020
  • If being a faithful simulation is the be-all and end-all of it, then how do consumer games compare to the real thing?
    Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 9 Aug. 2018
  • But at the same time, prices and efficiency shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all of governmental policy.
    Isaac Chotiner, Slate Magazine, 5 Oct. 2017
  • Westeros fans should rest assured that House of the Dragon is not necessarily the be-all and end-all of Game of Thrones spin-offs.
    Christian Holub, EW.com, 1 Dec. 2021
  • The label was the be-all and end-all of the artist’s career, deciding everything from marketing budgets to video sets and tour dates.
    Tony M Fountain, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2021
  • In Trump’s worldview, winning is the be-all and end-all—for people and for nations—and anyone who says otherwise is either a dupe or a fraud.
    Tom McTague, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2021
  • Having several short conversations, rather than one be-all and end-all, is a good idea, too.
    Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2021
  • Strange that this needs to be said in 2019, but the standard playwright-director formula of regional theater isn’t the be-all and end-all.
    Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2019
  • Its hopes, as advertised, are to be the be-all and end-all for mid-sized, high-budget concert experiences in Denver.
    Dylan Owens, The Know, 8 Aug. 2019
  • If England win their round of 16 match against Cameroon on Sunday afternoon, the next match becomes everything, the most important, the be-all and end-all.
    SI.com, 23 June 2019
  • These research areas are not the be-all and end-all of a rejuvenated Alzheimer's science agenda.
    Kenneth S. Kosik, Scientific American, 20 Apr. 2020
  • Obviously, Broadway is not the be-all and end-all of American theater.
    New York Times, 5 July 2019
  • American multiplexes are no longer the be-all and end-all for Hollywood.
    Daniel Arkin /, NBC News, 30 Apr. 2018
  • Although Reagan was known for helping enact a huge tax cut at the beginning of his presidency, tax cuts were never the be-all and end-all of his tax policy, as is the case with Trump.
    Bruce Bartlett, The New Republic, 31 Aug. 2020
  • Artificial intelligence has long been touted as the be-all and end-all to solving problems in business and the global economy.
    Kevin Collins, Forbes, 7 Apr. 2021
  • However, Mourinho changed his mind just months later, citing signing a central defender as the be-all and end-all of United's problems.
    SI.com, 5 Sep. 2019
  • Though the actress has long been the be-all and end-all fitness inspiration for women across the globe, Berry no longer wants her lifestyle to be deemed unobtainable for the average, everyday woman.
    Bianca Betancourt, Harper's BAZAAR, 3 Mar. 2021
  • Because according to Byrdie, this concealer is Pinterest's most popular be-all and end-all.
    Rachel Nussbaum, Glamour, 25 Oct. 2017
  • Many experienced coaches and trainers — me included — have concerns regarding the burpee and its marketing as a be-all and end-all of HIIT training.
    Dana Santas, CNN, 24 Aug. 2020
  • That model was built around the preconception that the be-all and end-all of great service was eventually connecting with a friendly human professional.
    Vivek Ahuja, Forbes, 7 July 2021
  • Representation politics isn’t the be-all and end-all of liberation.
    Nabilla Doma, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Feb. 2021
  • In some cases, the perimeter is still in place (think local firewalls), but because cloud-native apps are designed to run anywhere on any server — and be highly connected — perimeter security is no longer the be-all and end-all.
    Bill Mann, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2021
  • Unlike free-market liberals (who are, in their way, as fanatical as communists), President Trump doesn’t consider global free trade the be-all and end-all of human progress.
    John Cullen, Harper's magazine, 10 Jan. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'be-all and end-all.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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