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 man's lawyers, in a last-ditch appeal, also argued the method would infringe on Hoffman's freedom to practice religion, specifically his Buddhist breathing and meditation in the moments leading up to death. arkansasonline.com, 19 Mar. 2025 Shortly before Hoffman was scheduled to be put to death, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to deny a last-ditch request to block the execution. Stepheny Price, Fox News, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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 Saunders drained both attempts to give the Cougars a one-point lead and BYU was able to stave off Arizona’s last ditch effort with just 3.2 seconds remaining for a famous victory. Ben Morse, CNN, 24 Feb. 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 25 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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