last (lasts 3rd person present) (lasting present participle) (lasted past tense & past participle )
1 det You use last in expressions such as last Friday,last night, and last year to refer, for example, to the most recent Friday, night, or year.
I got married last July..., He never made it home at all last night..., It is not surprising they did so badly in last year's elections.
2 adj The last event, person, thing, or period of time is the most recent one.
det ADJ
Much has changed since my last visit..., At the last count inflation was 10.9 per cent..., I split up with my last boyfriend three years ago..., The last few weeks have been hectic.
Last is also a pronoun., pron
The next tide, it was announced, would be even higher than the last.
3 adv If something last happened on a particular occasion, that is the most recent occasion on which it happened.
ADV with v
When were you there last?..., The house is a little more dilapidated than when I last saw it..., Hunting on the trust's 625,000 acres was last debated two years ago.
4 ord The last thing, person, event, or period of time is the one that happens or comes after all the others of the same kind., (Antonym: first)
This is his last chance as prime minister., ...the last three pages of the chapter..., She said it was the very last house on the road..., They didn't come last in their league.
Last is also a pronoun., pron
It wasn't the first time that this particular difference had divided them and it wouldn't be the last..., The trickiest bits are the last on the list.
5 adv If you do something last, you do it after everyone else does, or after you do everything else.
ADV after v
I testified last..., I was always picked last for the football team at school..., The foreground, nearest the viewer, is painted last.
6 pron If you are thelastto do or know something, everyone else does or knows it before you.
PRON to-inf
She was the last to go to bed..., Riccardo and I are always the last to know what's going on.
7 adj Last is used to refer to the only thing, person, or part of something that remains.
det ADJ
Jed nodded, finishing off the last piece of pizza., ...the freeing of the last hostage.
Last is also a noun., n-sing the N of n
He finished off the last of the wine..., The last of the ten inmates gave themselves up after twenty eight hours on the roof of the prison.
8 adj You use last before numbers to refer to a position that someone has reached in a competition after other competitors have been knocked out.
det ADJ
Sampras reached the last four at Wimbledon., ...the only woman among the authors making it through to the last six.
9 adj You can use last to indicate that something is extremely undesirable or unlikely.
det ADJ (emphasis)
The last thing I wanted to do was teach..., He would be the last person who would do such a thing.
Last is also a pronoun., pron PRON to-inf
I would be the last to say that science has explained everything.
10 pron The last you see of someone or the last you hear of them is the final time that you see them or talk to them.
the PRON that (Antonym: first)
She disappeared shouting, `To the river, to the river!' And that was the last we saw of her..., I had a feeling it would be the last I heard of him.
11 verb If an event, situation, or problem lasts for a particular length of time, it continues to exist or happen for that length of time.
The marriage had lasted for less than two years... V for n
The games lasted only half the normal time... V n
Enjoy it because it won't last. V, Also V adv
12 verb If something lasts for a particular length of time, it continues to be able to be used for that time, for example because there is some of it left or because it is in good enough condition.
You only need a very small blob of glue, so one tube lasts for ages... V for n
The repaired sail lasted less than 24 hours... V n
The implication is that this battery lasts twice as long as other batteries... V adv, Also V
14 If you say that something has happened at last or at long last you mean it has happened after you have been hoping for it for a long time.
at last/at long last phrase PHR with cl
(=finally)
I'm so glad that we've found you at last!..., Here, at long last, was the moment he had waited for..., At last the train arrived in the station...
15 You use expressions such as the night before last, the election before last and the leader before last to refer to the period of time, event, or person that came immediately before the most recent one in a series.
the sb/sth before last phrase
It was the dog he'd heard the night before last..., In the budget before last a tax penalty on the mobile phone was introduced.
16 You can use phrases such as the last but one, the last but two, or the last but three, to refer to the thing or person that is, for example, one, two, or three before the final person or thing in a group or series.
last but one/last but three etc phrase PHR n, PHR after v
It's the last but one day in the athletics programme..., The British team finished last but one.
17 You can use expressions such as the last I heard and the last she heard to introduce a piece of information that is the most recent that you have on a particular subject.
the last sb heard phrase PHR with cl
The last I heard, Joe and Irene were still happily married.
18 If you leave something or someone until last, you delay using, choosing, or dealing with them until you have used, chosen, or dealt with all the others.
leave sth until last phrase V inflects
I have left my best wine until last..., I picked first all the people who usually were left till last.
19 →
to have the last laugh →
laugh →
last-minute →
minute →
the last straw →
straw →
last thing →
thing
last-ditch
A last-ditch action is done only because there are no other ways left to achieve something or to prevent something happening. It is often done without much hope that it will succeed. adj ADJ n
...a last-ditch attempt to prevent civil war.
last hurrah
Someone's last hurrah is the last occasion on which they do something, especially at the end of their career. n-count usu sing
I haven't even begun to think about quitting, or having a last hurrah, or allowing my career to wind down.
Last Judgement , Last Judgment
In the Christian religion, the Last Judgement is the last day of the world when God will judge everyone who has died and decide whether they will go to Heaven or Hell. n-proper the N
last-minute
→
minute
last rites
The last rites are a religious ceremony performed by a Christian priest for a dying person. n-plural the N
Father Stephen Lea administered the last rites to the dead men.
