last resort

Idioms  

1. A final expedient or recourse to achieve some end or settle a difficulty. For example, If you don't improve, we'll try this new medication as a last resort. This term originally referred to a court of law from which there was no appeal. [Late 1600s]

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Example Sentences

War is a terrible thing that ought to be a last resort when all other means have failed.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2026

While she stressed that strikes must still be a last resort, at the weekend she told local government workers to prepare for ballots if a 3.3% pay increase isn't improved.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026

"I need to consider the ages of these children… and proceed on the basis that custody is a last resort."

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

The policy paper also endorsed substantially shrinking the Fed’s $6.7 trillion asset portfolio and limiting the central bank’s role as a lender of last resort in financial crises.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

But I don’t want her to think she’s a last resort.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko