last-ditch

1 of 2

adjective

1
: fought or conducted from the last ditch : waged with desperation or unyielding defiance
put up a last-ditch resistance
2
: made as a final effort especially to avert disaster
a last-ditch attempt to raise the money

last ditch

2 of 2

noun

: a place of final defense or resort

Examples of last-ditch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
The plan for the night was to film the climactic scene where Dr. Leo Marvin (Dreyfuss) takes Bob Wiley (Murray) into the wilderness and straps 20 pounds of explosives to his chest in a last-ditch attempt to finally remove the patient from his life. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025 As a high school senior in Lake Wales, Fla., coming off the pandemic in 2021, the 6-foot-3 guard never had the exposure that might’ve earned him a last-ditch high-major offer. Brendan Marks, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
Bankers see a 'last ditch effort' by CFPB Bankers defended the safety of the Zelle app, and said the CFPB was overreaching in its actions. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 20 Dec. 2024 As a last ditch effort, Sunnova in early March borrowed $185 million from KKR at a 15% interest rate, secured by most of the company’s remaining valuable assets, including years of future residual cash flows from those ABS issues. Christopher Helman, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for last-ditch

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1706, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of last-ditch was in 1706

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Cite this Entry

“Last-ditch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/last-ditch. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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