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
Adjective
Sunday’s House of the Dragon found Emma D’Arcy’s Rhaenyra donning a disguise and slipping back into King’s Landing in a last-ditch effort to avert war between her side and Alicent, Aegon & Co. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 3 July 2024 Fegan attempted a last-ditch effort to insert McKinney as the class representative in that action, but the court rejected that move, granted the NCAA summary judgment and dismissed the case. Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 July 2024
Noun
Continue reading … - POLITICS 'LAST DITCH EFFORT' – Fani Willis files 'last ditch effort' to get Trump case back on track. Fox News, 13 June 2024 Special independent status could be granted to the diverse and geopolitically sensitive provinces of Baghdad, Diyala, and Kirkuk (à la the District of Columbia), in a last ditch effort at maintaining their pluralism. Ali Khedery, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2015 See all Example Sentences for last-ditch 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'last-ditch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near last-ditch

last ditch

last-ditch

last-ditcher

Cite this Entry

“Last-ditch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/last-ditch. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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