bookend

1 of 2

noun

book·​end ˈbu̇k-ˌend 

1

: a support placed at the end of a row of books

marble bookends

2

: one of two usually similar things that begin and end something

The second season started with stateside filming that included creating the "bookends," short segments that flank each episode …

—Paula Parisi

The trip has Eastern bookends. It began Monday in Ottawa and ends next Sunday in Atlanta.

—The New York Times

3

: one of two similar players on a team who play on opposite sides of the field or court

… Taylor is playing without bookend outside linebacker Carl Banks, who is sidelined with a wrist injury.

—Peter Kind

bookend

2 of 2

verb

bookended; bookending

transitive verb

1

: to be on both sides or ends of (something or someone) : flank

… dimples bookending his smile.

—Jennifer Kornreich

—often used in passive constructions

… a squat sports arena of concrete and black glass bookended by a pair of massive concrete cylinders …

—Wells Tower

2

a

: to begin and end (something) with two similar things or with the same thing

… Klim and Thorpe had bookended the relay with two of the fastest 100-meter split times ever …

—Alexander Wolff

He bookends his meaty battle narrative with a thorough analysis of Roosevelt's internment policy …

—Jonathan Mahler

b

: to serve as or mark the beginning and ending of (something) : to be the first and last parts or events of (something)

… a movie that, together with All the President's Men, bookends the era of heroic investigative journalism.

—Rand Richards Cooper

—often used in passive constructions

… the period bookended by the Civil War and the civil rights movement.

—Christopher Benfey

The anthology is bookended by an introductory essay by the editors … and an epilogue …

—C. L. Salter

Examples of bookend in a Sentence

Noun

a pair of bookends shaped like horses

He used an empty flowerpot as a bookend.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Two tremendous bookends capped off a memorable Crown Jewel event where Liv Morgan defeated Nia Jax to become Crown Jewel Champion and Randy Orton and Kevin Owens engaged in a crazy brawl that prevented their match from actually happening. —Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

The strike, which S&P Global Ratings estimates costs Boeing more than $1 billion a month, bookends an already difficult year that started with a near-catastrophic blowout of a 737 Max door plug. —Kristian Burt, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2024

Verb

The group’s first set with new members has already produced a handful of singles, and the first two almost manage to bookend the same chart in America. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

For every White Stripes Icky Thump — a record that successfully builds on what made a band special in the first place and showcases something new — there’s a bland, deflated bookend like Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Mardi Gras. —Brady Gerber, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1956, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bookend

noun

book·​end -ˌend 

: something placed at the end of a row of books to hold them up