last straw

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To last straw

Collins

World English Dictionary

last straw

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

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Relevant Questions

What Was Your Last Straw...

00:10

Last straw is always a great word to know.

So is bezoar. Does it mean:

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Slang Dictionary

last straw definition

n.
the final act or insult; the act that finally calls for a response. : This is the last straw. I'm calling the police.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences

More than any actual financial liability, that obfuscation proved the last

straw.

He told us that once he read it, he considered it the last straw that changed

his view of how the bank dealt with fraud.

High cost of insurance for many employers is the last straw during these

difficult times.

The rare earths controversy was kind of a last straw.

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Matching Quote

"But such is life, the silliest proverbs prove to be true, and when a man thinks, now it's all right, it's not all right by a long shot. Man proposes, God disposes, and there's always that last straw to break the camel's back."

-Alfred Döblin