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• last minute
  last minute

  noun

  the time just preceding a deadline or when some decisive action must be taken.
• last-minute
  last-minute

  noun

  (modifier) given or done at the latest possible time

last minute

American  

[min-it] / ˈmɪn ɪt /

noun

• last minutes
  plural

1. the time just preceding a deadline or when some decisive action must be taken.

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last-minute British  

noun

1. (modifier) given or done at the latest possible time

   last-minute preparations

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• last-minute
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• last minutes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of last minute

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

last minute last-minute

Trade talks between the neighbors fell apart at the last minute on Friday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Shoppers would see the total price before they pay for a ticket — but it may be at the last minute.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

In 2000, Bill Clinton switched presidential planes at the last minute while traveling from India to Pakistan, using a decoy aircraft carrying Secret Service agents.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

The good news is that you’re planning ahead, rather than making these decisions at the last minute.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026

I’d make up a reason why I couldn’t go or cancel at the last minute saying I was sick...but not Nadine.

From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan

But Carney added in a separate statement that "last-minute changes in the US proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal."

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

WSJ | Buy Side: Need last-minute funds for your business?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Dumb luck and a last-minute assist from his less charismatic, bumbling pseudo-sibling finally get him into the spotlight.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Professor Derek Manas, the medical director of NHS Blood and Transplant, admonished NHS England for creating a system with a burnt-out workforce, "few consequences for poor performance" and operations cancelled "last-minute".

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

The Hufflepuffs, who played in canary yellow, were standing in a huddle, having a last-minute discussion of tactics.

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling