Thing I Word Extra Examples Person Home Time

• we caught the last bus home.
• it's the last house on the left.
• she was last to arrive.
• last night/tuesday/month/summer/year

last1

1. happening or coming after all other similar things or people
• We caught the last bus home.
• It's the last house on the left.
• She was last to arrive.

Extra Examples

• This last point, which Hamish has mentioned, is crucial.
• Her last words were for her children.
2. most recent
• last night/Tuesday/month/summer/year
• The critics all hated her last book.
• This last point is crucial.
• The last time I saw him was in May.

Extra Examples

• Last summer we went to Greece for a month.
• Shirley had a talk with her last Friday.
3. that is the only one that remains
• SYNONYM final
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/final_1
• This is our last bottle of water.
• He knew this was his last hope of winning.
• I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last person on earth!

Extra Examples

• The teacher gave her one last chance to prove she could behave.
• The museum is one of the last remnants of the 17th-century palace.
• She was hanging on to the last remaining shreds of her reputation.
• It took my last reserves of strength and will to swim to the lifeboat.
4. used to emphasize that somebody/something is the least likely or suitable
• The last thing she needed was more work.
• He's the last person I'd trust with a secret.
5. after a long time
• SYNONYM finally
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/finally
• At long last his prayers had been answered.
6. to be going to die or stop functioning very soon; to be very weak or in bad condition
7. the day, week, etc. just before the most recent one; two days, weeks, etc. ago
• I haven't seen him since the summer before last.
8. every person or thing in a group
• We spent every last penny we had on the house.
9. people sometimes say Famous last words! when they think somebody is being too confident about something that is going to happen
• ‘Everything's under control.’ ‘Famous last words!’
10. early in the morning/late in the evening
• I need the report on my desk first thing Monday morning.
• I took the dog for a walk last thing before going to bed.
11. to be successful when you were not expected to be, making your opponents look stupid
• We'll have the last laugh if she finds out that you're the one who played the trick.
12. used to say what is most important after everything has been discussed, or considered
• In the final analysis, it's a matter of personal choice.
13. when there are no other possible courses of action
• SYNONYM at a pinch
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/pinch_2#pinch_idmg_2
• In the last resort we can always walk home.
14. the last moment of a person’s life
15. the point at which you/something can no longer continue living, fighting, existing, etc.
• SEE ALSO last-gasp
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/last-gasp
16. the latest possible time before an important event
• They changed the plans at the last minute.
• Don't leave your decision to the last moment.

Extra Examples

• Don't leave everything till the last minute.
• Why do you leave it until the last possible moment before getting ready to leave?
17. the person or thing you rely on when everything else has failed
• I've tried everyone else and now you're my last resort.
18. the last in a series of bad events, etc. that makes it impossible for you to accept a situation any longer
19. the most recent, fashionable, advanced, etc. thing
• These apartments are the last word in luxury.
20. the last comment or decision about something
• He always has to have the last word in any argument.
• I’m willing to wait one more week, and that’s my final word on the subject.
• The Chairman always has the last word on financial decisions.
21. used to emphasize that something is true of all the people being described
• They answered ‘Yes,’ to a man.
• They were all destroyed, to the last man.
22. seven days before the day that you mention
• She started work a week yesterday.

Word Origin

• determiner Old English latost (adverb) ‘after all others in a series’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch laatst, lest and German letzt, also to late.