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Can a preposition be what you end a sentence with? Merriam-Webster says yes
The idea that sentences can end with a preposition has become a point of contention in the replies to a tongue-in-cheek social media post from dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster.
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The idea that sentences can end with a preposition has become a point of contention in the replies to a tongue-in-cheek social media post from dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster.
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An authority on the English language has set us free from the tethers of what many have long regarded as a grammatical no-no. Or has it?
The answer depends on how you side with a declaration from Merriam-Webster:
“It is permissible in English for a preposition to be what you end a sentence with,” the dictionary publisher said in a post shared on Instagram last week. “The idea that it should be avoided came from writers who were trying to align the language with Latin, but there is no reason to suggest ending a sentence with a preposition is wrong.”
Merriam-Webster had touched on a stubborn taboo — the practice of ending sentences with prepositions such as to, with, about, upon, for or of — that was drilled into many of us in grade school. The post ignited an emphatic debate in the comment section.
Many were adamant that a concluding preposition is lazy, or just sounded plain weird.
“Maybe so, but it doesn’t sound expressive and at times sounds like someone isn’t intelligent enough to articulate themselves,” one user replied to Merriam-Webster.
Others heartily welcomed the permission granted.
“Thank you. How many times have I made an awkward sentence to avoid a preposition at the end?!?!” another person wrote.
The emotionally charged response to the post doesn’t surprise Ellen Jovin, who travels the country with her “grammar table” fielding questions about Oxford commas, apostrophes and other hot-button linguistic topics.
“I spend a lot of time dealing with the Concluding Preposition Opposition Party,” she said. “I know that any day that I want to start a fight, all I have to do is say something about this in public.”
Why do people get so worked up?
Jovin sees concluding preposition opponents as operatives of a sort of sunk cost fallacy. People have invested a lot of time in finding ways to not end clauses and sentences with prepositions. So, when someone comes along and tells you there’s no such rule, it’s human nature to cling tighter to something that cost so much time and energy.
“I also think that because not ending with prepositions is associated with a more formal style — maybe some of the anger comes from a kind of pricked pomposity,” she said. “Maybe sometimes they feel that someone is criticizing a larger style decision that they’ve made.”
As for Jovin, “I end with propositions and I’m perfectly happy with my life,” she said.
The origins of the ending-preposition prohibition
Among grammarians and lexicographers, Merriam-Webster’s comments are widely accepted.
It’s true that in Romance languages, because they derive from Latin, a structurally sound sentence can’t be made with a preposition placed at the end. But English is not a Romance language.
In the FAQ section of the entry for prepositions, Merriam-Webster states: “The people who claim that a terminal preposition is wrong are clinging to an idea born in the 17th century and largely abandoned by grammar and usage experts in the early 20th.”
It’s not the first time the online dictionary has tried to end the prohibition.
In response to a question posed by a user on X (formerly Twitter) in July 2020 that asked for Merriam-Webster editor Ammon Shea’s opinion on “the weirdest quirk of English,” Shea took aim at the “non-issue” of whether to end a sentence with a preposition, something he said has led to “so much wasted time.”
But it’s tough to shake a belief that has wended its way through people’s minds for more than three centuries.
Merriam-Webster credits 17th century poet John Dryden with popularizing a rule created by grammarian Joshua Poole.
In 1672, according to the publisher, Dryden chastised poet-playwright Ben Jonson for his use of the “preposition in the end of the sentence; a common fault with him.” Decades earlier, it said, Poole expressed concern with prepositions being placed in “their naturall order.”
“Untold millions of people have suffered in the subsequent years as a result,” the Merriam-Webster entry said.
The ending preposition is “permissible” and “not wrong.” But is it right?
Even in the cases where an ending preposition sounds odd, it’s still grammatical, if not the best stylistic option.
“It’s very sentence-specific,” said Jovin, who also runs Syntaxis, a New York City-based consultancy that teaches writing skills and email etiquette. “Many sentences where people are avoiding it, they’d be much better off just ending with a preposition.”
People who latch on to a nonexistent rule risk limiting their writing and fluency, she added.
Merriam-Webster tells it like it is
To be clear, dictionary publishers such as Merriam-Webster are not rulemakers nor rulebreakers. They just report how we already speak.
“We tell you how language is used. Our goal is to tell the truth about words,” says Peter Sokolowski, a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster who was not responsible for but backs the social media post.
Those following the false belief often don’t realize they’re breaking their own rule, Jovin says.
“People who say they never end in propositions are actually mistaken,” she says. “If you go and trail around after them with tape recorders, it’s not what’s happening.”
To hammer the point home, Merriam-Webster captioned its controversial post: “That’s what we’re talking about.” Now, does that sound better than: “That’s about what we are talking”?
Ariana Grande arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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The brightest stars in TV and film kicked off the 83rd annual Golden Globes tonight in Beverly Hills, Calif. with Ariana Grande, Noah Wyle, Teyana Taylor and George Clooney are just some the names who walked the red carpet. This year’s ceremony was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser.
Here’s a glimpse of what some of the attendees are wearing tonight.
Michael B. Jordan
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2026 Golden Globes
Nikki Glaser Shouts Out Rob Reiner …
Dons ‘Spinal Tap’ Hat at Close of Show
Published
Rob Reiner wasn’t forgotten at this year’s Golden Globe awards … because host Nikki Glaser paid tribute to him just weeks after his murder.
Here’s the deal … during the sign-off for the awards show, Nikki came onstage wearing a black and white “Spinal Tap” hat — the band which serves as the subject of Reiner’s iconic 1984 mockumentary of the same name.
Worth noting … the Golden Globes do not typically air an in memoriam — so this was the only time Reiner was mentioned at the show.
As you know … Rob and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home last month. Their son Nick Reiner has been arrested for murder in connection to the case.
TMZ.com
Nick’s arraignment was scheduled for last week … but, his lawyer Alan Jackson dropped out of the case — leaving Nick with a public defender and new arraignment date set for late February.
Jackson told a gaggle of reporters outside the courthouse that Nick’s not guilty … but, he simply can’t defend him. He did not provide a reason for his withdrawal.
Our new documentary “TMZ Investigates The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened” dives into Rob and Michele’s grisly deaths … as well as Nick’s history of mental health issues and even how his weight gain set him on a dangerous path.
“TMZ Investigates The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened” is now streaming on Hulu.
On-air challenge
Today’s puzzle is called “Pet Theory.” Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word start starts PE- and the second word starts T-. (Ex. What walkways at intersections carry –> PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC)
1. Chart that lists all the chemical elements
2. Place for a partridge in “The 12 Days of Christmas”
3. Male voyeur
4. What a coach gives a team during halftime in the locker room
5. Set of questions designed to reveal your traits
6. Something combatants sign to end a war
7. Someone who works with you one-on-one with physical exercises
8. Member of the Who
9. Incisors, canines, and premolars that grow in after you’re a baby
10. Nadia Comaneci was the first gymnast to score this at the Olympics
11. What holds the fuel in a British car
Last week’s challenge
Last week’s challenge was a numerical one from Ed Pegg Jr., who runs the website mathpuzzle.com. Take the nine digits — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. You can group some of them and add arithmetic operations to get 2011 like this: 1 + 23 ÷ 4 x 5 x 67 – 8 + 9. If you do these operations in order from left to right, you get 2011. Well, 2011 was 15 years ago. Can you group some of the digits and add arithmetic symbols in a different way to make 2026? The digits from 1 to 9 need to stay in that order. I know of two different solutions, but you need to find only one of them.
Challenge answer
12 × 34 × 5 – 6 – 7 + 8 – 9 [or] 1 + 2 + 345 × 6 – 7 × 8 + 9
Winner
Daniel Abramson of Albuquerque, N.M.
This week’s challenge
This week’s challenge comes from listener Ward Hartenstein. Think of a well-known couple whose names are often said in the order of _____ & _____. Seven letters in the names in total. Combine those two names, change an E to an S, and rearrange the result to name another famous duo who are widely known as _____ & _____.
If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it below by Thursday, January 15 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle.
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