ultimatum

noun

ul·ti·ma·tum | \ ˌəl-tə-ˈmā-təm

, -ˈmä-

plural ultimatums or ultimata\ ˌəl-tə-ˈmā-tə

, -ˈmä- \

Definition of ultimatum

: a final proposition, condition, or demand especially : one whose rejection will end negotiations and cause a resort to force or other direct action

Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about ultimatum

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of ultimatum in a Sentence

She was given an ultimatum—work harder or lose her job. issued the ultimatum that the project be finished by the following week, or it would be terminated

Recent Examples on the Web

The Defense Department did not respond to requests for comment, and offered San Francisco State no additional explanation for its ultimatum. — Nanette Asimov, SFChronicle.com, "SFSU shutters popular Chinese cultural program under pressure from feds," 5 Aug. 2019 So Abby gave her an ultimatum — no slippers, no dance — and Joanne said, fine, no dance. — Martha Sorren, Woman's Day, "Abby Cut GiaNina's 'Jersey Shore'-Themed Solo On This Week's 'Dance Moms'," 3 July 2019 Somewhere amid her husband’s countless roundtrips from Sonoma to Atlanta for NBA TV appearances, Meredith Hale-Griffin issued an ultimatum. — Jake Fischer, SI.com, "How David Griffin Rebuilt the Pelicans and His World," 1 Aug. 2019 And from there, and into Saturday, there was an expectation that Gruden would at some point fire off some sort of ultimatum at his mercurial star. — Albert Breer, SI.com, "Antonio Brown’s Helmet Drama Is Exactly What Jon Gruden and the Raiders Bargained For," 12 Aug. 2019 What finally prompted San Francisco State to do so in May was an ultimatum from Congress, placed in the Defense Department’s 2019 funding bill, to shut down its Confucius Institute or lose federal funding for foreign language training programs. — Teresa Watanabestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "San Francisco State shuts down Chinese language program under federal pressure," 29 July 2019 Disgusted Disgusted: These parents had delivered an ultimatum; their daughter had chosen to move out. — Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, "Ask Amy: Woman is torn between career and motherhood," 8 July 2019 Austria delivered a harsh ultimatum to the Serbs that demanded vast interference in Serbian domestic affairs. — Isabel V. Hull, The New York Review of Books, "Hang the Kaiser?," 21 Mar. 2019 Tonight, Chuck Grassley, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an ultimatum to Ford's lawyers. — Fox News, "New developments in Tucker's Google investigation; Dean Cain on Hollywood rallying behind Kavanaugh's accuser," 22 Sep. 2018

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