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 ever-rising risk premium demanded by investors for holding those bonds shows that traders are still unconvinced that the French government has a plan to resolve its budget crisis.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • But concrete reef structures powered by artificial intelligence could help to combat the environmental crisis.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of crisis
Noun
  • Rescue operations were complicated, with police firing tear gas at people who had begun looting neighboring shops, as officers sought to clear the area and provide access to emergency response teams.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Around 200 firefighters and emergency personnel ⁠in the area around Berchtesgaden in ​the southern region of Bavaria were battling ​the flames after the building, known as the Kehlsteinhaus, caught fire on Friday, police said.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of emergency
Noun
  • For Applegate, her previous diagnosis of MS had offered an explanation for her ongoing struggle with symptoms including tingling and numbness in her extremities, lack of coordination, balance issues and difficulty walking.
    — Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The Falcons announced Sunday that Daniels was alert and had movement in all his extremities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of extremity
Noun
  • This discovery establishes a new way to couple mechanical motion and electricity at the smallest scales, opening new possibilities for molecular electronics.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Over the summer, Zuckerberg shared with Meta advisors his plans to relocate outside California to avoid the possibility of a significant reduction in his control over the company as a result of selling enough stock to fund a 5% tax.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of possibility
Noun
  • You may be forgiven for anticipating a potboiler climax when a lush hideaway with a private beach is concerned, and what occurs there is indeed juicy.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The 2026 Formula 1 season is edging closer to its climax, with just six more races to go and the World Champion could be crowned soon, if not this Sunday.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of climax
Noun
  • Hong ultimately lost the primary election to Crowley by less than a percentage point following Barnes’s withdrawal from the race at the eleventh hour.
    — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
  • When Weber refused — saying the DOJ had refused to share its methodology and waited until the eleventh hour to act — the DOJ sued.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of eleventh hour
Noun
  • The team also completed a critical-design review, another milestone in preparing the technology for delivery.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The Max 10's certification represents another milestone in Boeing's efforts to restore its reputation and financial footing after years of safety, quality and production challenges.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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