Definition of last1

last1determiner

cuối cùng1

/lɑːst//læst/

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

namespace

happening or coming after all other similar things or people

Example:
  • 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.

most recent

Example:
  • 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.

that is the only one that remains

Example:
  • 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.

Related words and phrases

used to emphasize that somebody/something is the least likely or suitable

Example:
  • The last thing she needed was more work.
  • He's the last person I'd trust with a secret.

Idioms

at long last
after a long time
  • At long last his prayers had been answered.
    • be on your/its last legs
    to be going to die or stop functioning very soon; to be very weak or in bad condition
    the day, week, month, etc. before last
    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.
    • every last…
    every person or thing in a group
  • We spent every last penny we had on the house.
    • famous last words
    (saying)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!’
    • first/last thing
    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.
    • have the last laugh
    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.
    • in the final/last analysis
    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.
    • in the last resort
    when there are no other possible courses of action
  • In the last resort we can always walk home.
    • his/her last/dying breath
    the last moment of a person’s life
    your/the last gasp
    the point at which you/something can no longer continue living, fighting, existing, etc.
    the last minute/moment
    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.
    • a/your last resort
    the person or thing you rely on when everything else has failed
  • I've tried everyone else and now you're my last resort.
    • the last/final straw | the straw that breaks the camel’s back
    the last in a series of bad events, etc. that makes it impossible for you to accept a situation any longer
    the last word (in something)
    the most recent, fashionable, advanced, etc. thing
  • These apartments are the last word in luxury.
    • the last/final word (on something)
    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.
    • to a man | to the last man
    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.
    • a week yesterday, last Monday, etc.
    (especially British English)seven days before the day that you mention
  • She started work a week yesterday.