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
adjective
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”
synonyms:
fourth-year, senior
used of the fourth and final year in United States high school or college
sunset
providing for termination
ultimate
being the last or concluding element of a series
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antonyms:
first
preceding all others in time or space or degree
front
relating to or located in the front
early
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
archetypal, archetypical, prototypal, prototypic, prototypical
representing or constituting an original type after which other similar things are patterned
basic, introductory
serving as a base or starting point
initial
occurring at the beginning
eldest, firstborn
first in order of birth
first-year, freshman
used of a person in the first year of an experience (especially in United States high school or college)
original
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
premier, premiere
preceding all others in time
premier, prime
first in rank or degree
prime
used of the first or originating agent
original
being or productive of something fresh and unusual; or being as first made or thought of
primary
of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary
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adjective
occurring at or forming an end or termination
“the last days of the dinosaurs”
synonyms:concluding, final, terminal
closing
final or ending
adjective
occurring at the time of death
“his last words”
“the last rites”
synonyms:
dying
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
adjective
lowest in rank or importance
“last prize”
“in last place”
synonyms:last-place, lowest
worst
(superlative of `bad') most wanting in quality or value or condition
adjective
conclusive in a process or progression
“a last resort”
synonyms:final, net
ultimate
furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme
adjective
not to be altered or undone
“the arbiter will have the last say”
synonyms:final
inalterable, unalterable
not capable of being changed or altered
adverb
the item at the end
“last, I'll discuss family values”
synonyms:finally, in conclusion, lastly
noun
the temporal end; the concluding time
synonyms:close, conclusion, finale, finis, finish, stopping point
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type of:
end, ending
the point in time at which something ends
noun
the concluding parts of an event or occurrence
“I had to miss the last of the movie”
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
end game, endgame
the final stages of an extended process of negotiation
homestretch
the end of an enterprise
passing
the end of something
type of:
conclusion, ending, finish
event whose occurrence ends something
noun
a person's dying act; the final thing a person can do
“he breathed his last”
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type of:
activity
any specific behavior
noun
the time at which life ends; continuing until dead
“a struggle to the last”
synonyms:death
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type of:
end, ending
the point in time at which something ends
noun
the last or lowest in an ordering or series
“he was the last to leave”
“he finished an inglorious last”
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type of:
rank
relative status
verb
persist for a specified period of time
“The bad weather lasted for three days”
synonyms:endure
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types:
run, run for
extend or continue for a certain period of time
endure, hold out, wear
last and be usable
drag on, drag out
last unnecessarily long
type of:
measure
have certain dimensions
verb
continue to live through hardship or adversity
“how long can a person last without food and water?”
synonyms:endure, go, hold out, hold up, live, live on, survive
be, live
have life, be alive
exist, live, subsist, survive
support oneself
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types:
hold up, hold water, stand up
resist or withstand wear, criticism, etc.
perennate
survive from season to season, of plants
live out
live out one's life; live to the end
adjective
immediately past
“last Thursday”
“the last chapter we read”
synonyms:
past
earlier than the present time; no longer current
adverb
most recently
“I saw him last in London”
adjective
highest in extent or degree
“to the last measure of human endurance”
“whether they were accomplices in the last degree or a lesser one was...to be determined individually”
synonyms:utmost
high
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
adjective
most unlikely or unsuitable
“the last person we would have suspected”
“the last man they would have chosen for the job”
synonyms:
unlikely
has little chance of being the case or coming about
noun
holding device shaped like a human foot that is used to fashion or repair shoes
synonyms:cobbler's last, shoemaker's last
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type of:
holding device
a device for holding something
noun
a unit of weight equal to 4,000 pounds
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type of:
weight, weight unit
a unit used to measure weight
noun
a unit of capacity for grain equal to 80 bushels
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type of:
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
Pronunciation
US
/læst/
UK
/lɑst/
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