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

See Examples For:

last resort

Many of her own patients came only after first visiting indigenous healers, Tan said, viewing psychiatry as a "last resort".

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

But you should still save it as a last resort.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

The company is still waiting for FCC decisions on two separate applications, he said, plus a federal court ruling on AT&T’s request to bar California from enforcing its carrier of last resort rule.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

That measure is meant to be taken only as a last resort, and only if those customers have their own backup generation on site.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Desperate to replace the cooling water in the reactor, Yoshida decided it was time to try his last resort: seawater.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland