1. When the woman looked around and couldn’t find her little daughter, she looked up and down every aisle in the store until she was at her wits’ end. She was almost hysterical when another customer in the store suggested that she notify the store’s security officer.
2. We can’t seem to persuade our son to stay in school. We have tried every argument we can think of, but nothing seems to help. We don’t know what to do, and we’re at our wits’ end.

Synonyms: at the end of (one’s) rope. Compare to: keep (one’s) wits about (oneself); use (one’s) wits; scared out of (one’s) wits. The word wits means mental abilities.