last 1 of 2

1
2
3

last

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective last contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of last are final, terminal, and ultimate. While all these words mean "following all others (as in time, order, or importance)," last applies to something that comes at the end of a series but does not always imply that the series is completed or stopped.

last page of a book
last news we had of him

When is it sensible to use final instead of last?

In some situations, the words final and last are roughly equivalent. However, final applies to that which definitely closes a series, process, or progress.

final day of school

When can terminal be used instead of last?

The synonyms terminal and last are sometimes interchangeable, but terminal may indicate a limit of extension, growth, or development.

terminal phase of a disease

When is ultimate a more appropriate choice than last?

While in some cases nearly identical to last, ultimate implies the last degree or stage of a long process beyond which further progress or change is impossible.

the ultimate collapse of the system

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of last
Adjective
Lacy had declared for the NFL Draft after leading LSU in touchdowns receiving with nine last season, but his draft stock plummeted following news of the fatal car wreck. Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025 Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has praised May for showing maturity in the way he’s started this season, and the pitcher agreed, pointing out how difficult his last few seasons were. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
Officials first broke ground on the site in 2023, but the project fell to a standstill amid lasting COVID-19 pandemic delays and parties’ struggle to finalize a development plan as the size and scope of the project continued to change. Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025 The Great Migration brought many Black American artists and thinkers to New York City, famously spurring the Harlem Renaissance, which lasted from the end of World War I through the 1920s. Johanna K. Taylor, The Conversation, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for last
Recent Examples of Synonyms for last
Adjective
  • Today’s sentence is the culmination of justice, but this is not the final chapter of Kyhara’s life story.
    Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2025
  • The Yorktown's final resting place wasn't discovered until a 1998 expedition found it about 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health concur that there is conclusive evidence that alcohol causes several types of cancer.
    Pranoti Mandrekar, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Anecdotes from such sources are, of course, far from conclusive.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The commercial weather forecasting service says a storm is expected to move across the eastern half of North America during the peak shower activity, spreading clouds across most of the East Coast.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • So far, 2025 has been relatively calm at the pump for most Americans, thanks in part to OPEC’s ongoing restoration of oil production and continued uncertainty surrounding tariff policy and its potential impact on the global economy.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Final Thoughts Every stage of the startup journey—fighting to survive, avoiding stagnation or navigating complexity—comes with its own set of challenges.
    Hope Horner, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
  • If young curlews cannot survive to reproductive age, conservationists fear there won’t be enough breeding birds to replenish the species’ numbers, which could cause the entire population to collapse.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • That means such products imported from China will apparently not be subjected to the 125% tariff U.S. President Donald Trump slapped on Beijing (a 20% tariff will remain).
    Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2025
  • A lot of the clubs from that time were gone—Finbar’s, Hunt’s, Memorial Auditorium, where the band once opened for Allen Ginsberg—but the scrappy apartments mostly remained.
    Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The shooting happened the day before the fifth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that killed 17 and is the latest in what has become a deadly new year in the U.S.
    Joey Cappelletti and Mike Householder, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Feb. 2023
  • The video is the latest in a lengthy stream of controversies the probation department has faced in recent years.
    James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2023
Adjective
  • And, in fact, Democrats are winning special elections month after month after month, including most recently a decisive one in Wisconsin earlier this month for the state Supreme Court.
    Isabel Danzis, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2025
  • That’s exactly what WWE fans got inside Allegiant Stadium, with a short but sweet bout that ended in decisive fashion when Cargill demolished Naomi with a massive Jaded finisher.
    Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Nonetheless, under current court interpretation of federal law, Maine should prevail if the state can stick it out, said Rothstein and several other critics of the Trump administration.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
  • While most losses were caused by fraud, ransomware prevailed as the largest threat to critical infrastructure in 2024, the FBI said.
    Nicole Brown Chau, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Last.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/last. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on last

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!