the end justifies the means
used to say that doing bad things is acceptable if they achieve an important result

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

end the part of a place or object that is furthest from the centre or the beginning:
the end of the table
the end of the street
tip the end of something, especially something pointed:
the tip of your nose
an arrow tip
point the sharp end of something:
The point of the pencil broke.
the opposite/other end (of something)
Jon and his girlfriend were sitting at the opposite end of the bar.
the far end (of something) (=furthest from you)
He walked to the far end of the room and sat at his desk.
deep/shallow end (=used about the ends of a swimming pool where the water is deepest or least deep)
The kids were splashing about in the shallow end.
lay/place something end to end (=in a line, with the ends touching)
The roof tiles are laid end to end.
political/military financial etc ends
The government exploited the situation for political ends.
achieve your own ends (=to get what you want, used to show disapproval)
Some people would do almost anything to achieve their own ends.
to that end (=with that aim or purpose)
Our first priority is safety, and the airline is working to that end.
an end in itself (=the thing that you want to achieve)
The programme is not an end in itself, but rather the first step the prisoner takes towards a new life.
the end justifies the means (=used to say that something bad is acceptable, if it achieves a good result)
Their defence, that the end justifies the means, is not acceptable.
a means to an end (=a way of achieving what you want)
To Joe, work was a means to an end, nothing more.
with this end in view (=with this thing in mind as an aim)
We need to reduce costs, so with this end in view, the company is switching supplier.
finish to end - use this about an organized event such as a meeting, party, or lesson, especially when saying what time it ends:
The meeting will finish at 5.30.
What time does your Spanish class finish?
be over if an event, activity, or period of time is over, it has ended:
I can’t wait for our exams to be over.
The long summer vacation was almost over.
come to an end to finally end – used about a period of time, a situation, or an activity that has continued for a long time:
The war finally came to an end six years later.
draw to an end/to a close written to end gradually over a period of time – used in written descriptions:
These problems still remained as the twentieth century drew to an end.
time is up if time is up, you are not allowed any more time to do something:
I wasn’t able to finish the test before the time was up.
time runs out if time runs out, there is no more time available to do something, especially something important:
The desperate search for survivors continues, but time is running out.
expire formal if a ticket, bank card, legal document etc expires, the period of time during which you can use it has ended:
I’m afraid we can’t accept this credit card – it expired last week.
be at an end if something is at an end, it has ended:
We both knew that our marriage was at an end.
The long wait was at an end.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

end justifies the means.
something that you say which means that in order to achieve an important aim, it is acceptable to do something bad.
Unfortunately, we'll have to cut down the forest to make space for the golf course, but I feel the end justifies the means.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲