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
But in the fractured Iranian political system, Ayatollah Khamenei has the last word.
—
David E. Sanger, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Trump stands firmly behind the Tesla CEO’s latest email campaign, yet also suggested agency leaders—not Musk—have the last word on whether employees should even bother to respond.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Lecanemab and donanemab are definitely a step forward, Dr. Lapins says, but not the final word—and a combination of treatments may ultimately be what’s needed.
—Amy Norton, SELF, 25 Feb. 2025
Even so, setbacks at the federal level — whether at the hands of the president, a committee in Congress or even the U.S. Supreme Court — need not be the last word.
—David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the last/final word
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David E. Sanger, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Trump stands firmly behind the Tesla CEO’s latest email campaign, yet also suggested agency leaders—not Musk—have the last word on whether employees should even bother to respond.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Lecanemab and donanemab are definitely a step forward, Dr. Lapins says, but not the final word—and a combination of treatments may ultimately be what’s needed.
—Amy Norton, SELF, 25 Feb. 2025
Even so, setbacks at the federal level — whether at the hands of the president, a committee in Congress or even the U.S. Supreme Court — need not be the last word.
—David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the last/final word
Cite this Entry
“The last/final word.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20last%2Ffinal%20word. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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