How to Use last resort in a Sentence

last resort

noun
  • War is no longer a last resort.
    — John Whitehead, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Brar said closing stores would be a last resort.
    — Da Lin, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025
  • And trust that layoffs are a last resort.
    — Michael Bush, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Think back to your last resort visit.
    — Christopher Elliott, Dallas Morning News, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Use an emery nail file to gently rub the area as a last resort.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 Jan. 2026
  • There is a fourth option, but it should only be seen as a last resort.
    — Jill Schlesinger, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2025
  • Here’s why a teardown should be an option of last resort.
    — Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
  • No need to cut your life into pieces, because this is not your last resort.
    — Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 5 Apr. 2025
  • But treat surgery more as a last resort than a first or even second option.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
  • Not as a last resort, but as a foundation.
    — Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Sleeping outside is a choice of last resort.
    — Deborah Berkman, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Any sort of punishment is their last resort.
    — Sophia Tiedge, jsonline.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • That should probably be a last resort, though.
    — Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
  • The soldier bit him as a last resort before falling to his death.
    — Michael Fiorentino, NBC News, 24 Feb. 2023
  • What happens when the insurer of last resort runs out of cash?
    — Umair Irfan, Vox, 5 Feb. 2025
  • That plan, by the way, is supposed to be the insurer of last resort.
    — Phil De Luna, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
  • In terms of raising taxes, Beard said that would be a last resort.
    — Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 8 July 2024
  • Many experts agree the tactic should be used only as a last resort.
    — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Both shows are a last resort when the natural methods have failed.
    — Rich Juzwiak, Time, 25 June 2025
  • The treatment was given as a last resort to save the children's lives.
    — William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
  • But tax increases should be a last resort, not a first instinct.
    — Kyle Krahel Frolander, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
  • The woman recently sued her school as a last resort.
    — Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
  • That statute makes third-country removals a matter of last resort.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 16 July 2025
  • Fulmer had called the decision to close a last resort.
    — Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 5 Aug. 2025
  • This would be my last resort option, as this can cause damage over time or with too much pressure.
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 12 Dec. 2025
  • Driving in a wildfire should be avoided at all costs and only as a last resort.
    — P. Kim Bui, The Arizona Republic, 13 July 2023
  • As a last resort, consider flea sprays and powders.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
  • The same goes for any legal action that may be deemed necessary as a last resort.
    — Dean Kaplan, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
  • And they are never used as a first-line therapy, only as a last resort.
    — Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Restraints are a last resort, and the goal is to minimize the time they are utilized.
    — Ashley Andreou, STAT, 22 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'last resort.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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