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.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

last-ditch effort

Then, in a last-ditch effort to fend off Hong’s insurgency, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who had previously suspended his campaign, reentered the race less than a month before polls opened.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

As a last-ditch effort, Murrin’s attorneys asked the Supreme Court to hear the case in February.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

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

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

But an alert Gabriel put in a last-ditch effort, applying just enough pressure to distract Simeone as he got his shot away and save Saliba's blushes.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

In a last-ditch effort to save Roosevelt’s life, the doctor filled his syringe with quinine and injected it directly into Roosevelt’s abdomen.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple