ˈlas(t)-ˌdich 
-ˈdich
1
: fought or conducted from the last ditch : waged with desperation or unyielding defiance
put up a last-ditch resistance
2
: made as a final effort especially to avert disaster
a last-ditch attempt to raise the money
: a place of final defense or resort
Examples of last-ditch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent experience with how poorly the FAIR Plan is handling smoke damage claims underlines why nobody should be forced to rely on a system that was only ever intended to be a last-ditch backup for a tiny number of customers.
—Patrick Wolff, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
Ronnie Li, USA Today, 30 July 2025
The use of force was a last ditch effort to end a nuclear program built and backed by a government intent not only on terrorizing its own people but also on exporting mayhem abroad.
—Hadley Gamble, semafor.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for last-ditch
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Adjective
Somebody runs to catch a train to make a last-ditch speech.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent experience with how poorly the FAIR Plan is handling smoke damage claims underlines why nobody should be forced to rely on a system that was only ever intended to be a last-ditch backup for a tiny number of customers.
—Patrick Wolff, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
In a last ditch effort, the determined rescuers brought in an excavator and devised a plan that would save the animal’s life.
—Ronnie Li, USA Today, 30 July 2025
The use of force was a last ditch effort to end a nuclear program built and backed by a government intent not only on terrorizing its own people but also on exporting mayhem abroad.
—Hadley Gamble, semafor.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for last-ditch
Cite this Entry
“Last-ditch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/last-ditch. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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