last resort

Idioms  

1. A final expedient or recourse to achieve some end or settle a difficulty. For example, If you don't improve, we'll try this new medication as a last resort. This term originally referred to a court of law from which there was no appeal. [Late 1600s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

last resort

But you should still save it as a last resort.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

The company is still waiting for FCC decisions on two separate applications, he said, plus a federal court ruling on AT&T’s request to bar California from enforcing its carrier of last resort rule.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

The company describes the wall they built in 2023 as a last resort.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Leaving her region remains a last resort, as she lives with her husband, a private-sector executive, and their two children in a village.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

For Africans, we were the firm of first choice and last resort.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela