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]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

last resort

Many of her own patients came only after first visiting indigenous healers, Tan said, viewing psychiatry as a "last resort".

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Nicknamed PixTinder by some, PIX has even become a last resort for jilted lovers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Bankruptcy is considered a last resort because of its long-term consequences on your credit score, especially if your debt payments and expenses exceed your income.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 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

Lee Strunk carried a slingshot; a weapon of last resort, he called it.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien