Jump To:

• last minute
  last minute

  noun

  the time just preceding a deadline or when some decisive action must be taken.
• last-minute
  last-minute

  noun

  (modifier) given or done at the latest possible time

last minute

American  

[min-it] / ˈmɪn ɪt /

noun

• last minutes
  plural

1. the time just preceding a deadline or when some decisive action must be taken.

---

last-minute British  

noun

1. (modifier) given or done at the latest possible time

   last-minute preparations

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• last-minute
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• last minutes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of last minute

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

last minute last-minute

In 2000, Bill Clinton switched presidential planes at the last minute while traveling from India to Pakistan, using a decoy aircraft carrying Secret Service agents.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

"I didn't get together with him because he was a footballer so I never considered the footballer life - that he might just have to move at the last minute," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

The good news is that you’re planning ahead, rather than making these decisions at the last minute.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026

In some cases, ADI Predictstreet sent tickets to winners of the leaderboard promotion—but they arrived at the last minute, making it impossible for users to attend.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Miig was considering coining but, at the last minute, decided to stay back.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

After last-minute gulps of water, everyone filters back into the heat of the desert and hurries to air out the cars’ ovenlike cabins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

With a seeming majority of opticians and pharmacists out of stock, pastry chef Arno Dossogne, 37, struck gold at a small opticians' store that received a last-minute shipment Monday afternoon.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

No dragons, of course, but plenty of political conniving, clashing swords and last-minute escapes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

I used it to book a last-minute British Airways flight from Lisbon to London last week for just 7,500 Alaska points and $77 in fees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

He had to attend to a few last-minute business matters before the departure for Milwaukee.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson