last minute

noun

Definition of last minutenext
as in crisis
the last possible time when something can be done You shouldn't wait until the last minute before planning your retirement. They were making changes to the show right up to the last minute.

Related Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for last minute
  1. crisis
  2. emergency
  3. extremity
  4. possibility
  5. climax
  6. eleventh hour
  7. milestone
  8. zero hour
Noun
  • The last three Democratic presidents inherited terrible economic conditions and had to spend to rescue the country from soaring joblessness, the housing crisis and the pandemic, respectively.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Washington — Senate Democrats demanded answers Wednesday about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, following reports of food shortages, broken plumbing and mental health crises during the aircraft carrier's record-setting deployment.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of crisis
Noun
  • But in gridlock emergencies, timely, urgent reports from people baptized in the traffic beat make a large difference.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • JumpSmart also includes a compass, thermometer, reflector strip, and emergency audible alarm that is perfect for hiking, camping, and off-roading.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of emergency
Noun
  • Upon arrival, officers found the man suffering from an injury to his lower extremity.
    — Michele Gile, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Pain, numbness or tingling in the lower extremities can point to an orthopedic issue, but the same sensations can also signal prostate cancer that has spread.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of extremity
Noun
  • When asked about that possibility following the trade deadline, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow notably didn’t rule it out.
    — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Running a red light in Texas is a Class C misdemeanor that carries a fine between $155 and $286, along with the possibility of higher insurance costs.
    — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of possibility
Noun
  • Building to a poignant climax, writer-director Noah Segan’s elegant love letter to both New York and to bygone cinematic eras recalls both the 1970s, with its grungy urban antiheroes, and the 1990s, in its American indie ethos.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The film’s climax comes after Jean Grey is captured and detained by the Department of Damage Control (DODC), the same agency that kidnapped her sister, Sara (Olivia Booth-Ford).
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of climax
Noun
  • Getting to public company standards at the eleventh hour is no longer enough.
    — Brian Waller, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Hayes knows, in soccer, anything can happen; an injury could sideline any team’s biggest star at the eleventh hour.
    — Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of eleventh hour
Noun
  • The label also put out a compilation record earlier this year marking the milestone.
    — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • This milestone shows that utility-scale battery storage is no longer experimental, but an essential backbone supporting the modern electric grid.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of milestone
Noun
  • Nevertheless, this is an improvement on the zero hours that (many) men were doing 50 years ago.
    — Meg Walters, Glamour, 9 Nov. 2025
  • The King video marked the zero hour for new forms of activism using cameras.
    — Will Potter July 7, Literary Hub, 7 July 2025
Definition of zero hour
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.

Browse Nearby Words

lastly
last minute
last minutes
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Cite this Entry

“Last minute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/last%20minute. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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