last word
Americannoun
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the closing remark or comment, as in an argument.
By the rules of debate she would have the last word.
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a final or definitive work, statement, etc..
This report is the last word on the treatment of arthritis.
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the latest, most modern thing.
Casual hairdos are the last word this season.
Etymology
Origin of last word
First recorded in 1880–85
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.
Such documents tend to serve as the last word on an artist’s creative output, and whatever gets included matters to posterity, and therefore the marketplace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
But his clarification is unlikely to be the last word on the controversy.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
If you’re a seasoned people-mover rider, luxury is probably the last word you’d ascribe to the vehicle another mid-century promo video called a “monster on wheels.”
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents Association which organizes the dinner, said in June as she announced the re-do that "we will not allow an act of violence to have the last word."
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
She drew out the last word in a hiss.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
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.
