last-ditch

1 of 2

adjective

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

last ditch

2 of 2

noun

: a place of final defense or resort

Examples of last-ditch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Green Dot Public Schools, the charter group that has managed Locke for nearly two decades, is mounting a last-ditch appeal before the board of the county Office of Education, whose staff has also recommended closure. —Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

The Illinois House adjourned on May 31 without taking up a last-ditch Senate bill that would have allowed Arlington Heights or Chicago to form a public-private ownership deal with the Bears and given the team a path to build a new stadium without paying property taxes on the facility. —Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026

Noun

Critics of the Administration have predictably dismissed the move as a desperate, last ditch effort on the part of the White House to regain leverage over Tehran. —Ilan Berman, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2026

But his last ditch attempt to flee to safety would fail. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1706, in the meaning defined above