Illustration of last
- 5last
lasted; lasting; lasts
1
: to continue in time
The movie lasted about two hours.
2
a
: to remain fresh or unimpaired : endure
That paint job should last a long time.
b
: to manage to continue (as in a course of action)
She won't last; she'll quit before the week's out.
c
: to continue to live
… he will not last very much longer.—
James Dennis
James Dennis1
: to be enough for the needs of
The supplies will last them a week.
2
: to continue in existence or action as long as or longer than
—often used with out
couldn't last out the training program
1
a
: following all the rest
He was the last one out.
b
: being the only remaining
our last dollar
2
: belonging to the final stage (as of life)
her last hours on earth
3
a
: next before the present : most recent
last week
His last book was a failure.
b
: most up-to-date : latest
It's the last thing in fashion.
4
a
: farthest from a specified quality, attitude, or likelihood
would be the last person to fall for flattery
b
: lowest in rank or standing
also
: worst
5
b
: conclusive
There is no last answer to the problem.
lastly
adverb
1
: after all others : at the end
came last and left first
2
: most lately
saw her last in Rome
3
: in conclusion
Last, let's consider the social aspect.
: a form (as of metal or plastic) which is shaped like the human foot and over which a shoe is shaped or repaired
Examples of last in a Sentence
Verb (1)
we were lucky that the batteries lasted until we could get to the store to buy more
this heavy drought has lasted all summer
Adjective
He was the last one out of the building.
She succeeded on her last attempt.
These are the last two books in the series.
We are going to the beach for the last week of the summer.
the last cookie in the jar
She said she wouldn't marry him if he was the last man on earth.
He was tragically killed during the last days of the war.
I haven't seen her recently. The last time we met was at a party.
Adverb
He spoke last at the meeting.
My horse was last in the race.
She was first to arrive at the party and last to leave.
I last saw him in the supermarket.
They last went to the beach in June.
This word was last used in the 17th century.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
7 July 2026
Indirect talks concluded last week without any sign of meaningful progress toward a lasting peace agreement.
—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
7 July 2026
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2026
Philadelphia hit 103 degrees Thursday and tied a record last set in 1901.
—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
4 July 2026
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
4 July 2026
Wales, placed last in the last two Six Nations, put substance over style.
—
ABC News,
4 July 2026
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 July 2026
Mercedes’ last big upgrade came in Montreal at the end of May, and for Red Bull before Austria, its last of that magnitude was in Miami at the beginning of May.
—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for last
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Tehran has paused fragile negotiations with the US aimed at reaching a lasting deal to end their conflict during the multi-day funeral for Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike in February, on the first day of the war.
—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
7 July 2026
Indirect talks concluded last week without any sign of meaningful progress toward a lasting peace agreement.
—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
7 July 2026
Adjective
Weighing 184 pounds at the combine, Carr would have been the third-lightest 6-5 player in the league last year, ahead of only Sacramento’s Nique Clifford (175 pounds) and Dallas’ AJ Johnson (160 pounds).
—
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2026
Philadelphia hit 103 degrees Thursday and tied a record last set in 1901.
—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
4 July 2026
Adverb
As the demand for electric vehicles, renewable energy storage, and portable electronics continues to grow, researchers are searching for battery technologies that can store more energy, cost less, and last longer than today’s lithium-ion batteries.
—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
4 July 2026
Wales, placed last in the last two Six Nations, put substance over style.
—
ABC News,
4 July 2026
Noun
Salah is in what could be the 34-year-old’s last World Cup, a theme in this tournament with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both most likely playing their last as well.
—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 July 2026
Mercedes’ last big upgrade came in Montreal at the end of May, and for Red Bull before Austria, its last of that magnitude was in Miami at the beginning of May.
—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for last
Cite this Entry
“Last.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/last. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
last
1 of 6 verb1
: to continue in being or operation
lasted three hours
2
: to be enough for the needs of
supplies to last a week
last
2 of 6 noun
: a form which is shaped like the human foot and on which a shoe is shaped or repaired
last
3 of 6 verb
: to shape with a last
last
4 of 6 adjective1
a
: following all the rest in time, place, or rank
last one out
b
: being the only remaining
last dollar
2
: belonging to the final stage
3
: next before the present : latest
last week
4
: least likely
the last thing we'd want
last
5 of 6 adverb1
: at the end
ran last
2
: most lately
saw them last at school
3
: in conclusion
and last, I'd like to talk about success
last
6 of 6 noun
: something that is last
Etymology
Verb
Old English læstan "to last, follow"
Noun
Old English lǣste
Adjective
Old English latost "latest," from læt "late" — related to late entry 1
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