noun
- one of a pair of objects used to hold books upright on a shelf
- something that marks the beginning or end of a period or series
Usage: figurative
verb
- to place at the beginning and end of something
Examples
- She placed heavy bookends on either side of her dictionary collection.
- The marble bookends kept the novels from falling over.
- His birth and death bookend a remarkable century of change.
- The two wars bookended a period of economic growth.
- The ceremony was bookended by musical performances.
- These events bookend the most important decade in the company’s history.