last-ditch effort

Idioms  

1. A desperate final attempt, as in We're making a last-ditch effort to finish on time. This expression alludes to the military sense of last ditch, “the last line of defense.” Its figurative use dates from the early 1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

last-ditch effort

As a last-ditch effort, Murrin’s attorneys asked the Supreme Court to hear the case in February.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

If so, the switch movements would not be the cause of the crisis but evidence of a last-ditch effort to save the aircraft.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

Samsung management and union leaders resumed talks on Monday in a last-ditch effort to avoid a strike.

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

A last-ditch effort to broker a merger between the rival leagues took place in the White House in February 2025 when President Trump hosted Al-Rumayyan, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Tiger Woods.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

Among them was the Huron leader Kondiaronk, a famed orator who had, more than any other, convened the gathering as a last-ditch effort to avoid internecine conflict.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann