last straw

See more synonyms for last straw on Thesaurus.com

noun

the last of a succession of irritations, incidents, remarks, etc., that leads to a loss of patience, a disaster, etc.: He has been late before, but this is the last straw.

Origin of last straw

First recorded in 1840–50; after the proverb “It is the last straw that breaks the camel's back”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for last straw

affront, indignity, limit, overload, provocation

Examples from the Web for last straw

Historical Examples of last straw

Did we waste time talking about it, discussing our chances, or mildly anathematising our last-straw luck?
Notes of a Camp-Follower on the Western Front
E. W. Hornung
With a last-straw expression Mrs. Wyburn drew herself up to her full height.
The Limit
Ada Leverson

British Dictionary definitions for last straw

last straw

noun

the last straw the final irritation or problem that stretches one's endurance or patience beyond the limit

Word Origin for last straw

from the proverb, "It is the last straw that breaks the camel's back"

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012