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.
At a last-ditch hearing before the FHSAA, TFA acknowledged that it had improperly allowed transfers to participate but argued the punishment was too steep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
As a last-ditch effort, Murrin’s attorneys asked the Supreme Court to hear the case in February.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
If so, the switch movements would not be the cause of the crisis but evidence of a last-ditch effort to save the aircraft.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
“It’s exploitative and frankly disrespectful and infuriating that that is kind of a last-ditch effort to suggest to my community ... that they’ve been wrong the whole time,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
Magical energy from Merriweather’s wands crashed into him—a last-ditch effort on Merriweather’s part—but the Ifrit just shrugged it off.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
