last word

noun

Definition of last word

1 : the final remark in a verbal exchange

2a : the power of final decision

b : a definitive statement or treatment this study will surely be the last word on the subject for many years

3 : the most advanced, up-to-date, or fashionable exemplar of its kind the last word in sports cars

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Examples of last word in a Sentence

a swimsuit that is the last word in sportswear this season

Recent Examples on the Web As volunteers swept up the broken glass and turned power washers on the filth that a vandal had spray-painted on the house of worship, Hammed watched the little boy scrub away at the floor — determined not to let hate speech have the last word. — Star Tribune, "After an attack on its mosque, Moorhead refused to let hate have the last word," 30 Apr. 2021 The director of the CDC made clear these guidelines will not be the last word. — Jen Christensen, CNN, "What the next CDC guidelines for the fully vaccinated could look like," 9 Mar. 2021 But there are limits to what can be shoehorned into legislation passing through the eye of this needle, and MacDonough is the last word on what those limits are. — Philip Elliott, Time, "Why the Democrats' Infrastructure Bill Hinges on One Ruling," 5 Apr. 2021 The new sanctions might not be the last word on Navalny if Biden concludes that individual oligarchs are also culpable for the anti-corruption activist’s abuse — but guilt will not be enough to trigger sanctions. — Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, "Biden's early sanctions fall short of campaign promises to punish Putin and Saudi crown prince," 3 Mar. 2021 The last word on the conflict—which may or may not have led to what remain two unsolved murders—is delivered by Mr. Combs. — John Anderson, WSJ, "‘Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell’ Review: It All Started in Brooklyn," 25 Feb. 2021 That last word, a Tamil term of endearment for the younger sisters of one’s mother, was met with a fierce outpouring of pride across social media on Wednesday night. — Washington Post, "‘Family is my chittis’: Kamala Harris puts her Tamil roots on the prime-time stage like never before," 20 Aug. 2020 Lucille Burden Osborne, known by some as Miss Lucille, refuses to give cruelty the last word in her story. — Susan Welsh And Haley Yamada, ABC News, "McGruder roots: Families trace lineages back to a single enslaved man," 8 Mar. 2021 Iran's presidential election in June could bring in a new government that's more in line with hard-liners within the inner circle of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word in all key decisions. — Washington Post, "Europe sees a narrow window for Biden to revive Iranian nuclear deal," 17 Jan. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'last word.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near last word

last thing on someone's mind

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Last Updated

6 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Last word.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/last%20word. Accessed 14 May. 2021.

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