All's Well That Ends Well

noun

1. a comedy (1602?) by Shakespeare.

All's well that ends well

1. Problems that occur along the way do not matter as long as the outcome is happy.

Notes

This proverb was used as a title for one of William Shakespeare 's comedies.

Idioms and Phrases

Everything has turned out satisfactorily, even though the outcome has been uncertain. For example, His lawyer persuaded Jack to plead guilty, but the court merely put him on probation—all's well that ends well . This proverb, dating from about 1250, gained even more currency as the title of a Shakespeare comedy.