last-ditch

[ last-dich, lahst- ]
See synonyms for last-ditch on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. done finally in desperation to avoid defeat, failure, disaster, etc.: a last-ditch attempt to avert war.

  2. fought with every resource at one's command: a last-ditch battle for the pennant.

Origin of last-ditch

1
First recorded in 1905–10; last1 + ditch

Other words from last-ditch

  • last-ditch·er, noun

Words Nearby last-ditch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use last-ditch in a sentence

  • I've quite half an hour before post goes, and I shall fight to the last ditch.

    The Title | Arnold Bennett
  • And you never will, until you throw out the ones who have fought moderation right down to the last ditch.

    Meeting of the Board | Alan Edward Nourse
  • You know Nataly Lees going to fight to the last ditch against selling things that way.

    Winona of the Camp Fire | Margaret Widdemer
  • It is the last ditch stand of liberty in a world of servitude.

    The Enchiridion | Epictetus
  • I know what comes afterward—to a man or to a nation—when driven to the last ditch of pain.

    The Hive | Will Levington Comfort

British Dictionary definitions for last-ditch

last-ditch

noun
  1. (modifier) made or done as a last desperate attempt or effort in the face of opposition

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012