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

Union members said the strike is a last resort.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

A ban on teens is often a last resort by landlords who are wary of turning away younger shoppers.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

In a statement the CBA said its positions has "remained consistent" during the withdrawal of services and the action was taken as "a regrettable last resort".

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Quiet professionals understand that violence is risky and costly, and use it only as a last resort.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

However, regular dog eating has been a last resort of meat-deprived human societies: the Aztecs had no other domestic mammal, and the Polynesians and ancient Chinese had only pigs and dogs.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond