eleventh hour

noun

: the latest possible time before it is too late
still making changes at the eleventh hour

Examples of eleventh hour in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The festival screened close to 3,000 films to curate its official selection, and programmers shoehorned big name after big name into its lineup right up to the eleventh hour. Thomas Page, CNN Money, 11 May 2025 At the end of Season 3, after the two have successfully reinvented her persona and rebuilt her career, Deborah lands the late-night show of her dreams and promises to make Ava head writer, only to renege at the eleventh hour—prompting Ava to clinch the position via blackmail instead. Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 May 2025 But at the eleventh hour the city announced that the new contract couldn’t go forward unless NYPD sergeants agree to 12-hour tours, President Vincent Vallelong told the Daily News. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2025 So anti-sport Governor Moore huddled with Maryland’s two U.S. senators at the eleventh hour to cast the deciding votes that allowed the Commanders to leave, disappointing millions of adoring Maryland football fans after 27 years of residency. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 29 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for eleventh hour

Word History

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of eleventh hour was in 1821

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Cite this Entry

“Eleventh hour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eleventh%20hour. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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