last-ditch
Americanadjective
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done finally in desperation to avoid defeat, failure, disaster, etc..
a last-ditch attempt to avert war.
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fought with every resource at one's command.
a last-ditch battle for the pennant.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of last-ditch
Explanation
When you make one desperate, final attempt to do something, it's a last-ditch effort. In a last-ditch attempt to win the student council election, you might find yourself promising to put a soft-serve machine in the cafeteria. The term last-ditch comes from William of Orange's 17th-century vow to defend the Dutch Republic from France and Britain to the death. Or as he's reported to have said, "I mean to die in the last ditch." The expression didn't really catch on until around 1900, when people started using it to mean "final attempt." In a last-ditch effort to convince your parents to get a dog, try inundating them with cute puppy photos you find online.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A last-ditch effort to broker a merger between the rival leagues took place in the White House in February 2025 when President Trump hosted Al-Rumayyan, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Tiger Woods.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
In a last-ditch effort to get back to Duke, Bior obtained a special refugee passport, issued by Uganda, that he hopes will allow him to bypass the South Sudan visa ban.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
The actor stars in a soaring, witty space epic, based on the novel by Andy Weir, about a man on a last-ditch mission to protect the sun from a microscopic but urgent threat.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
Iran and the United States held talks in Switzerland on Thursday, in a last-ditch bid to avert war under the shadow of the biggest American military build-up in the Middle East in decades.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
Leaned in and said something to Ali in the backseat, perhaps one last-ditch effort to change his mind.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
