last-ditch effort

Idioms  

1. A desperate final attempt, as in We're making a last-ditch effort to finish on time. This expression alludes to the military sense of last ditch, “the last line of defense.” Its figurative use dates from the early 1800s.

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Example Sentences

Samsung management and union leaders resumed talks on Monday in a last-ditch effort to avoid a strike.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

In a last-ditch effort to get back to Duke, Bior obtained a special refugee passport, issued by Uganda, that he hopes will allow him to bypass the South Sudan visa ban.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Was this a bid for regional relevance, a provocation timed with regional shifts, or a last-ditch effort to break a long-standing siege?

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2025

The group’s last-ditch effort to reach homeowners is a letter.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2025

At what was supposed to be my father’s last Council meeting before he took his family north, it was decided they’d make one last-ditch effort to talk to the Governors in the capital.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline