last

last¹ W1S1 [la:st US læst] determiner, adj

1.) most recent or nearest to the present time

→↑next (12)

▪ I hadn't seen him since the last meeting.

last night/week/year etc

▪ Did you see the game on TV last night?

▪ The law was passed last August.

▪ Interest in golf has grown rapidly in the last ten years.

▪ Things have changed since the last time (=the most recent occasion) you were here.

2.) happening or existing at the end, with no others after

≠ ↑first

▪ I didn't read the last chapter of the book.

▪ The next meeting will be held in the last week in June.

the last person/thing etc to do sth

▪ Anna was the last person to see him alive.

last but one/two etc

(=last except for one other, two others etc)

▪ on the last but one day of his trial

3.) remaining after all others have gone, been used etc

▪ Can I have the last piece of cake?

every last

(=used to emphasize that you mean all of something)

▪ All the money was gone; every last penny of it.

4.) the last minute/moment

the latest possible time before something happens

▪ Travelers will find it hard to get a hotel room at the last minute.

▪ He never makes a decision until almost the last moment.

5.) the last person/thing

used to make a strong negative statement about someone or something

▪ She's the last person I'd expect to meet in a disco (=I would not expect to meet her in a disco at all) .

▪ Money was the last thing I cared about right now.

the last thing sb needs/wants

▪ The last thing she needed was for me to start crying too.

6.) be the last straw

to be the final thing in a series of annoying things that makes someone very angry

▪ He'd broken his promise again, and it was the last straw.

7.) last thing (at night)

at the very end of the day

▪ Take a couple of these pills last thing at night to help you sleep.

8.) on your last legs informal

a) very tired

▪ Sarah looks as if she's on her last legs.

b) very ill and likely to die soon

9.) on its last legs informal

old or in bad condition, and likely to stop working soon

▪ The car's on its last legs.

10.) be the last word in sth

to be the best, most modern, or most comfortable example of something

▪ It's the last word in luxury holidays.

→last resort at ↑resort¹ (2)

→with your last/dying breath at ↑breath

→↑last hurrah

→have the last laugh at ↑laugh² (6)

→the last/final word at ↑word¹ (14)

last ²

last² W1S1 adv

1.) most recently before now

→↑next

▪ When I last saw her, she was working in New York.

2.) after everything or everyone else

≠ ↑first

▪ Who is speaking last?

▪ Add the flour last.

last of all

(=used when giving a final point or piece of information)

▪ Last of all, I'd like to thank everyone for coming

3.) last but not least

used when mentioning the last person or thing in a list, to emphasize that they are still important

▪ Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new secretary.

last ³

last³ W1S1 n, pron

1.) the last

the person or thing that comes after all the others

≠ ↑first

▪ I think this box is the last.

the last to do sth

▪ He was the first to arrive and the last to leave.

2.) at (long) last

if something happens at last, it happens after you have been hoping, waiting, or working for it a long time

▪ At last it was time to leave.

▪ We reached the summit at last.

see usage note ↑lastly

3.) the day/week/year etc before last

the day, week etc before the one that has just finished

▪ I sent the letter off the week before last.

4.) the last of sth

the remaining parts of something

▪ John ate the last of the bread at lunchtime.

5.) sb hasn't heard the last of sb/sth

if you have not heard the last of someone or something, they may return and cause problems for you in the future

▪ We haven't heard the last of football violence.

6.) sb will never hear the last of sth

if you will never hear the last of something, someone will be angry with you about it for a long time

▪ If my mother sees me, I'll never hear the last of this.

7.) the last I heard

spoken used to tell someone the most recent news that you know about a person or situation

▪ The last I heard, she was at college studying law.

8.) to the last

formal until the end of an event or the end of someone's life

▪ He died in 1987, insisting to the last he was innocent.

last ⁴

last⁴ W2S1 v

[: Old English; Origin: lAstan 'to last, follow']

1.) [I always + adverb/preposition]

to continue for a particular length of time

last for/until/through etc

▪ The hot weather lasted for the whole month of June.

last an hour/ten minutes etc

▪ Each lesson lasts an hour.

▪ The ceasefire didn't last long.

2.) [I and T]

to continue to exist, be effective, or remain in good condition for a long time

▪ This good weather won't last.

last (sb) two days/three weeks etc

▪ A good coat will last you ten years.

▪ Cut flowers will last longer if you put flower food in the water.

3.) also last out (sth) BrE

[I always + adverb/preposition]

to manage to remain in the same situation, even when this is difficult

▪ They won't be able to last much longer without fresh supplies.

▪ If you go into the job with that attitude, you won't last long.

▪ She feared she might not be able to last out the afternoon in court without fainting.

4.) [I,T always + adverb/preposition]

to be enough for someone for a period of time

= ↑do

last (sb) two days/three weeks etc

▪ The water supply should last another 48 hours.

▪ We only had $50 to last us the rest of the month.

last ⁵

last⁵ n

[: Old English; Origin: lAste, from last 'footmark']

a piece of wood or metal shaped like a human foot, used by someone who makes and repairs shoes