last minute

noun

Synonyms of last minutenext
: the moment just before some climactic, decisive, or disastrous event
last-minute
ˈlas(t)-ˈmi-nət How to pronounce last minute (audio)
adjective

Word History

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of last minute was in 1653

Rhymes for last minute

See All Rhymes for last minute

Browse Nearby Words

last mile
last minute
last name
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Last minute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/last%20minute. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on last minute

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for last minute

Nglish: Translation of last minute for Spanish Speakers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

More Words with Remarkable Origins
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All