the last/final word

noun

1
: the final thing said in an argument or a discussion
Your mother's decision is the final word on the matter.
Why do you always have to have the last word?
2
: the power to make a final decision
The judge will have the last word on the divorce agreement.
3
informal : the most modern or best one of its kind
This is the last word in wireless phones.
The van's design is the last word in safety.

Examples of the last/final word in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The emergency orders by the court are not the last word on cases but can resolve as a practical matter for years while lawsuits wind through the courts. Karen Yourish, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025 Photograph: Mark Sommerfeld Last year, filmmaker Paul Schrader—the director of Blue Collar, American Gigolo, and First Reformed, and writer of Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver—issued what seemed like the last word on artificial intelligence in Hollywood filmmaking. John Semley, Wired News, 20 Aug. 2025 According to clinical psychologist Nick Wignall, dating someone who’s emotionally immature may involve dealing with their tendencies to avoid vulnerability, trying new things, or being alone with themselves and their uncomfortable thoughts and feelings; and their need to get the last word in. Emma Specter, Vogue, 16 Aug. 2025 As anyone who’s weathered a few Kansas City winters knows, forecasts may give us hints, but around here, the weather always gets the last word. Kansas City Star, 16 Aug. 2025 And while many attendees opted for sleek black tailoring or minimalist silhouettes, Dapper Dan proved that maximalism, when done with skill and intention, will always have the final word. Karissa Mitchell, Essence, 15 Aug. 2025 The letter said Lake would have the final word on the decision. David Folkenflik, NPR, 6 Aug. 2025 But the original developer does not always have the last word and this looks like a field where Ukraine can dominate. David Hambling, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025 The letters were not the final word from Trump on tariffs, so much as another episode in a global economic drama in which the U.S. president has placed himself at the center. Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“The last/final word.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20last%2Ffinal%20word. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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