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
  • Her first job as CEO in 2014 was to remake the century-old company’s corporate culture and regain customers’ trust following a tragic, reputation-wrecking ignition-switch crisis.
    — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Though largely peaceful, the protests have added to an already monthlong political crisis following a deadlock of over 19 months that has blocked the election of a president and led to two early elections.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of crisis
Noun
  • The government on Saturday issued an emergency ​advisory for people living ​near canals ⁠to move possessions to higher ground.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
  • That year, the government released its emergency rice reserves for the first time since the reserve system was created in 1995, something that was normally kept for natural disasters.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of emergency
Noun
  • Lanning said after the game that Moore had movement in all of his extremities while at the hospital.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Coach Dan Quinn said afterward that Chenal was at the hospital and had feeling in his extremities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of extremity
Noun
  • One is a vow, and one is a mandate, and one is a possibility, and each of them provides Cal with a path forward.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Some say the possibility of being slapped with the fees is a factor in buyers’ waning interest in condos, which have long been a relatively affordable option, at the same time that construction of new condos has continued to lag across the state.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of possibility
Noun
  • Jo and Raissa play this conflict out on screen in a story that balances action and adventure with an emotional climax that left me in tears.
    — Parents, Parents, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The climax of the book is the fight over who would run the private company.
    — Lane Brown, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of climax
Noun
  • Civil litigation can drag on for years, frequently ending in settlements reached at the eleventh hour, just before a trial begins.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Why the eleventh hour came with an extra second, killing time proved impossible, and time fails to fly in Ann Arbor.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of eleventh hour
Noun
  • As part of the pact, Sanofi is paying Regeneron $1 billion upfront, with possible milestone payments of up to $7 billion more.
    — Andrew Joseph, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Fusion reaction milestone Most fusion projects, including the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France, focus on D-T fusion because it can be achieved under less demanding conditions than alternative fuel cycles.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 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 4 Oct. 2026.

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