last-ditch

[last-dich, lahst-]

adjective

1. done finally in desperation to avoid defeat, failure, disaster, etc..

   a last-ditch attempt to avert war.

2. fought with every resource at one's command.

   a last-ditch battle for the pennant.

last-ditch

noun

1. (modifier) made or done as a last desperate attempt or effort in the face of opposition

Other Word Forms

• last-ditcher noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of last-ditch¹

First recorded in 1905–10; last ¹ + ditch

Example Sentences

“It was kind of a last-ditch hope for me,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

For years, load-shedding has been used as a last-ditch attempt to keep the national grid from total collapse, following decades of mismanagement at state utility Eskom.

From BBC

The Gotham FC defender put in a crucial last-ditch challenge in the first half before later teeing up Lucy Bronze's header to make it 2-0, as she impressed in defence and attack.

From BBC

Meanwhile, Routh’s defense filed a last-ditch effort to have the final two firearm charges against him dropped under a Second Amendment claim.

From Salon

But it's become much more common in recent decades, in a last-ditch effort to save populations of black and white rhinos in South Africa and surrounding countries, where poaching threatens their survival.

From Salon

Related Words

• do-or-die 
• frantic 
• last-gasp