last
Other forms: lasted; lasting; lasts
Something that's last comes at the very end, after any others of its kind. The last day of the year is December 31st.
If you eat the last slice of pizza, you take the final one — it's the only one left in the take-out box. And if you catch the last plane to Bermuda, there are no more flights today. The runner who comes in last is behind everyone else, and a poet's last words are the final ones she speaks during her lifetime, before she dies. As a verb, last means "remain" or "survive."
Definitions of last
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coming after all others in time or space or degree or being the only one remaining“the last time I saw Paris”“the last day of the month”“had the last word”“waited until the last minute”“he raised his voice in a last supreme call”“the last game of the season”“down to his last nickel”
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Synonyms:
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fourth-year, senior
used of the fourth and final year in United States high school or college
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sunset
providing for termination
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ultimate
being the last or concluding element of a series
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Antonyms:
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first
preceding all others in time or space or degree
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front
relating to or located in the front
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early
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
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archetypal, archetypical, prototypal, prototypic, prototypical
representing or constituting an original type after which other similar things are patterned
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basic, introductory
serving as a base or starting point
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initial
occurring at the beginning
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eldest, firstborn
first in order of birth
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first-year, freshman
used of a person in the first year of an experience (especially in United States high school or college)
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original
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
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premier, premiere
preceding all others in time
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premier, prime
first in rank or degree
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prime
used of the first or originating agent
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original
being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of
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primary
of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary
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fourth-year, senior
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occurring at or forming an end or termination
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occurring at the time of death“his last words”“the last rites”
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Synonyms:
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dying
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
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dying
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lowest in rank or importance“last prize”“in last place”
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synonyms:
last-place, lowest
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worst
(superlative of `bad') most wanting in quality or value or condition
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worst
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conclusive in a process or progression
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not to be altered or undone“the arbiter will have the last say”
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synonyms:
final
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inalterable, unalterable
not capable of being changed or altered
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inalterable, unalterable
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the item at the end“last, I'll discuss family values”
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synonyms:
finally, in conclusion, lastly
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the temporal end; the concluding time
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synonyms:
close, conclusion, finale, finis, finish, stopping point
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the concluding parts of an event or occurrence“I had to miss the last of the movie”
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synonyms:
end, final stage
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types:
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end game, endgame
the final stages of a chess game after most of the pieces have been removed from the board
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end game, endgame
the final stages of an extended process of negotiation
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homestretch
the end of an enterprise
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passing
the end of something
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type of:
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conclusion, ending, finish
event whose occurrence ends something
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a person's dying act; the final thing a person can do“he breathed his last”
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type of:
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activity
any specific behavior
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activity
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the time at which life ends; continuing until dead
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the last or lowest in an ordering or series
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persist for a specified period of time
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continue to live through hardship or adversity“how long can a person last without food and water?”
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types:
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hold up, hold water, stand up
resist or withstand wear, criticism, etc.
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perennate
survive from season to season, of plants
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live out
live out one's life; live to the end
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hold up, hold water, stand up
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immediately past“last Thursday”“the last chapter we read”
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Synonyms:
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past
earlier than the present time; no longer current
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past
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most recently“I saw him last in London”
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highest in extent or degree
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most unlikely or unsuitable“the last person we would have suspected”“the last man they would have chosen for the job”
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Synonyms:
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unlikely
has little chance of being the case or coming about
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unlikely
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holding device shaped like a human foot that is used to fashion or repair shoes
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synonyms:
cobbler's last, shoemaker's last
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type of:
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holding device
a device for holding something
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holding device
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a unit of weight equal to 4,000 pounds
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type of:
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weight, weight unit
a unit used to measure weight
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weight, weight unit
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a unit of capacity for grain equal to 80 bushels
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type of:
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capacity measure, capacity unit, cubage unit, cubature unit, cubic content unit, cubic measure, displacement unit, volume unit
a unit of measurement of volume or capacity
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capacity measure, capacity unit, cubage unit, cubature unit, cubic content unit, cubic measure, displacement unit, volume unit
Pronunciation
US
/læst/
UK
/lɑst/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘last'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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