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单词 last
释义
last1 determiner, adjectivelast2 adverblast3 noun, pronounlast4 verblast5 noun
lastlast1 /lɑːst $ læst/ ●●● S1 W1 determiner, adjective Thesaurus
THESAURUSthe one before this one
most recent or nearest to the present time: · His last film was much better.· It rained all day last Saturday.· The last time I saw her was two years ago.
[only before noun] before this one, or before the one that you are talking about: · See the diagram in the previous chapter.· His previous records had all been jazz records.· How much were you earning in your previous job?
[only before noun] formal existing or having a particular position in the past, but not now: · the former Soviet Union· the former US president· Interest rates are unlikely to return to their former level.· the former Chief Executive
[only before noun] used about a person or thing that existed in the past, but has been replaced by a newer one: · an old boyfriend· The old model was much slower.
the one that comes at the end
[only before noun] happening or existing at the end, with no others after: · What time does the last train leave?· Our house is the last one on the right.
[only before noun] last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc: · It’s the final game of the championship tomorrow.· the final scene of the film
[only before noun] used about the last part of a long period of time, or of an event, book etc that has been exciting or interesting: · the closing years of the twentieth century· Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing minutes of the game.
[only before noun] used about the last part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event, that ends it in a definite way: · the concluding section of the report· the judge’s concluding remarks
[only before noun] the one before the last one: · the penultimate chapter
Longman Language Activatorcoming at the end after all others
happening or coming at the end, with no others after: · What time does the last train leave?· Could you repeat the last number for me please?· I really struggled on that last question.· Don't miss the last episode tonight at 8.00 p.m.· I may as well eat that last little piece.very last (=use this to emphasize that something is last): · The very last train leaves at 1.00 a.m.the last time: · That was the last time I ever saw her. (=I never saw her again)last chance: · Today is your last chance to visit the fashion show, which ends this evening.the last: · That lecture was the last in the series.
last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc: · Are you going to watch the final episode of 'The X-Files' tomorrow night?· He got as far as the final interviews, but he didn't get the job unfortunately.· I'd like to make one final point before we move on to another subject.final stages/moments/minutes (=at or near the end of a period or process): · The president appears tired but hopeful as the final stages of the negotiations begin today.· Whitney made both free throws in the final minute of the game.final game/round/match etc: · A victory over Fresno State in the final game Saturday would produce a record run of wins.· The two men were tied for the lead going into today's final round of the Dunlop Phoenix golf tournament.
the closing part of an event or period of time is the last part of it - use this especially when something important or exciting happens: the closing stages/chapter/sentence etc: · Marcos is expected to address the closing session of the conference later Monday.· The rider from the Netherlands is still in the lead as the Tour de France enters its closing stage today.· The closing scene of 'Casablanca' is one of the great moments of film history.closing seconds/minutes/years etc: · Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing seconds of the game.· the closing years of the 20th centuryclosing argument (=the final speech made by a lawyer in a court): · After the defense finishes its closing argument, the prosecution will have the opportunity to reply.
the concluding part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event is the last part of it, which finishes it in the way that was planned: concluding stages/chapter/remarks etc: · We will return to these points in the concluding chapter.· In his concluding remarks, Santos drew attention to the issues facing developing countries. · The Appeal court will, at the concluding stage, test its own opinions against those of the judges in the original hearing.
formal the second of two things or people that are being compared with each other: · Opportunities for men and women, though especially the latter, are limited to employment in agriculture or domestic service.· There were two candidates for the presidency, Lyndon B Johnson and Senator Barry Goldwater. The latter was known to hold extreme right-wing views.
to be the last one in a line, group, race etc
· There's no point in trying, because I know I'm going to be last.· We were last in a very long queue, so I knew we'd have a long wait.be (the) last to do something · Sally was last to arrive.· His plane was always the first to take off, and the last to land.be last in line (=be the last person to have something, especially when this seems unfair) · I was the youngest in a family of four, so I was always last in line for clothes and toys.· Let's just say I don't want to be last in line for promotion.
also come last British to finish a race or competition in the last position: · Our school always comes in last in the regional competition.· Bakatin came last with just 3.4% of the vote.· Despite finishing last of six, he was only beaten by two lengths.
to be last in a line or group of people, cars, ships etc that is moving forward: · We all followed our guide up the path, Marcus and I bringing up the rear.· The funeral hearse was followed by cars full of friends, and a company of Life Guards brought up the rear.
a person who is too slow to keep the same speed as the rest of the group they are with, so that they move along some distance behind: · A few stragglers got lost in the fog.· After three and a half hours, the stragglers were still coming through.
the one just before the last one
coming just before the last one in a series, list, line etc: · I've nearly finished this test. I'm on the next to last question.· "How much have you read?" "I'm on the second to last chapter."· It wasn't until the next to last day of the vacation that she dared to go to the beach.
British the one just before the last one: · She had several husbands. Garry Burton, the last but one, was a real alcoholic.· He and his family escaped on the last but one ship to leave Hamburg.· There's a long row of houses and I live in the last but one.
especially British, formal coming just before the last one: · We booked a moped for the penultimate day of the holiday.· Particularly impressive is the horn section on the penultimate track, 'Just Jivin' Around'.penultimate stage/step: · These trials are actually the penultimate step toward choosing the Olympic team for this summer's games.penultimate game/round/lap etc: · Eric scored a timely win in the penultimate round of the Formula 1 championship.· His horse slipped and fell at the penultimate fence.
what you say to introduce the last thing in a speech etc
use this when something is the last thing you want to say, especially at the end of a long speech or piece of writing: · Finally, I'd like to thank all those people who helped make the conference such a success.· And finally, don't miss Albuquerque's amazing punk band, playing tonight at the Lunar Club.
use this to say that something is the last of a list of things, or when something is the last thing you want to say: · Now lastly, before you all leave, I want to mention some tips for the interview stage.· And lastly, Delia, do you see the movement towards more and more computerization continuing in the future?· Firstly it's too big, secondly we can't afford it, and lastly we don't really need it.
use this when you are mentioning the last person or thing in a list, to emphasize that they are just as important as all the others: · Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new accountant.· And last but not least, I thank Begona Canup for her interest in the book.last but certainly not/by no means least: · Social Security has reduced poverty, and last, but by no means least, it has been a good deal for participants.
to continue for a particular period of time
use this to say how long something continues: · Mexico achieved a remarkable 8% annual growth rate, but the new prosperity did not last.· Ours was a happy marriage, but I always feared it wouldn't last.last 2 hours/6 months/a long time etc: · The whole opera lasts about four hours.· The earthquake lasted 30 seconds and caused 12,000 casualties.· The silence in the room seemed to last a very long time before she spoke.· rainstorms lasting all night long· Each consultation can last between 10 minutes and half an hour.last for 2 hours/a long time/years etc: · The performance is expected to last for approximately 3 hours.· The effects of Josie's experience could last for years, doctors say.last from/until etc: · The talks lasted until the early hours of the morning.· The drug produces a powerful cocaine-type high that lasts for days.· The Sung dynasty lasted from 960 to 1278.last into the 19th century/1980s/next decade etc: · This phase of the educational campaign lasted into the 1960s.last long: · Analysts are confident the downturn in share prices will not last long.· It's the worst cold I've ever had, but luckily it didn't last very long.last forever: · I wanted the weekend to last forever.last as long as: · The pilots say the walkout could last as long as two months.
use this when you want to say how much time is needed to do something or for something to happen: take 2 hours/6 months etc: · The bridge was closed, so the journey took much longer than usual.· Can you give me an idea how long this is going to take?· It took two years for Eddie to learn how to walk again.take 2 hours/6 months etc to do: · The software will take a few minutes to load.· They're just fun books, they don't take very long to read.take somebody 2 hours/6 months etc to do: · Doing the painting alone will take him all day.it takes (somebody) 2 hours/six months etc to do something: · It takes me about half an hour to get ready in the mornings.· It didn't take Susie long to find out what was going on between us.· It took three and a half hours to come back from Swansea.
if something, especially something boring or unpleasant, goes on for a particular period of time, that is how long it lasts: · The chairman's speech went on for what seemed like hours.· It sounds like the sort of meeting that could go on forever.· It starts at seven, but I don't know how long it goes on for.· It was a big lawsuit, and it went on for quite a while.
use this about something that seems to continue for a long time: · The siege dragged on into its second month.drag on for: · I can't afford to let the case drag on for months.
if a play, show, event etc runs for a particular period of time, it continues to be shown or performed for that period of time: · The Ideal Homes exhibition will run until 6 p.m. each day over the weekend.run for: · The play ran for two months on Broadway.· The media campaign features four commercials that will run for eight weeks.· One of the top sit-coms was 'On the Buses', which ran for sixty episodesrun and run British (=used in newspapers, magazines etc to say that a play, show etc will be very successful and will be performed for a long time): · This is one that will, I believe, run and run.
if a process, activity, event etc extends over a long period of time, it continues for that period of time: · We had a marathon recording session extending over eighteen hours.· If the investigation is a sustained piece of work extending over a period of weeks, a diary will help to track events.
to stay in good condition for a particular period of time
use this about clothes, equipment, furniture etc to say how long they will remain in good condition: · Cheap saucepans can't really be expected to last.· It's amazing how long this car has lasted, really.· You can get washable plastic lace by the yard, which lasts much better than the real thing.last (for) 7 years/2 months/a long time etc: · Some wine-makers will tell you that a cask lasts only for four years.· When the houses were put up in 1946, they really weren't meant to last more than ten years.last (somebody) a lifetime (=last a very long time): · With care, a mahogany dining table will last you a lifetime.· Well-made golf clubs ought to last a lifetime, so it's worth paying the extra.
use this about food or drink to say how long it will remain fresh: · You'd better eat these cakes today -- they won't keep.keep for 2 days/24 hours etc: · The yoghurt will keep for about a week in a refrigerator.keep until/till: · Do you think this bacon will keep till tomorrow?keep well: · Eat celery as soon as possible -- it does not keep well for long periods.
use this about food or about flowers that have been cut: · Homemade bread never stays as fresh as the stuff you buy in the supermarket.stay fresh for 2 weeks/2 days/a long time etc: · Strain the stock and put in a sealed container. It should stay fresh for up to three days.· Bend the stems, as this will make the blooms stay fresh for longer.
when a supply of something continues to be enough
if a supply of something lasts for a particular period of time, there continues to be enough of it for someone to use until the end of that period: last (somebody) two weeks/three days etc: · He knew they only had enough food to last another three days.· $400 won't last you long in Chicago.
to use a supply of something carefully so that it is not all used quickly: · I sent my sister $500, with some advice on how to make it last.make something last longer/a long time etc: · You can add ice or additional mixer to alcoholic drinks make them last longer.· One group delayed spending the grant in order to make its funds last as long as possible.· She only had a small amount of food left, and knew she'd have to make it last the week.
to make a small amount of something such as food or money last longer, by carefully using only very small amounts of it -- used especially in literature: eke out something: · Dealers are mixing the drug with heroin and cocaine to eke out their supplies.· She lived on a shoestring during these years, eking out the pennies as best she could. eke something out: · I'm not ashamed to eke food out.
what you say to explain the most basic facts, reasons etc
spoken say this when you want to talk about the most basic facts, reasons etc about something: · Basically we're looking for someone who can work three afternoons a week.· We only took a few shirts and a pair of jeans. That's basically it, really.· The film appears to be quite complicated but it's basically a love story.
British spoken say this when you are saying what you think is basically true about a situation after considering all the facts: · At the end of the day, the best team won.· You may be working for yourself but at the end of the day you still have to pay tax on what you earn.
also in essence formal use this when you are explaining what the basic truth about something is: · She's added a few characters and changed some names but essentially this is a true story.· The theory of relativity is, in essence, very simple.
use this to say what you think is the basic truth about a situation after considering all the facts carefully: · In the final analysis Stalin was just as much a dictator as Hitler.· The responsibility for the accident must, in the last analysis, rest with the captain.
a time, day, month etc that comes before another one
· The company recorded a 50% increase in profits over the previous year.· Kirsty's baby had been born the previous October, while she was still in England.
the morning, afternoon, or evening of the day before today: · My sister and I went shopping yesterday lunchtime.· We met yesterday morning to discuss plans for the conference.
the week, year etc before this one: · I spoke to Neil and Sandra last weekend. · We still haven't paid last month's rent.
the day, week, month, year before the one in the past that you have just mentioned: · The day before the exam, I felt worried and unprepared.· Last week she was in Paris, and the week before she was in Rome.
formal the preceding months, years etc are the ones just before the time in the past that you are talking about: · The company made more profit in that one month than it made in the whole of the preceding year.· He had been arrested at least fifteen times in the preceding five years.
someone or something that existed before or that you had before
the previous person or thing is the one that existed just before now or before the time you are talking about: · The car's previous owner didn't take very good care of it.· Please ignore my previous instructions.
the last thing or person is the one that you had just before now, or the one that existed just before now: · The last apartment we lived in was much smaller than this one.· Beth broke up with her last boyfriend because he drank too much.
: ex-wife/ex-boyfriend/ex-soldier etc someone who used to be someone's wife, used to be a soldier etc, but is not any more: · Her dad's an ex-policeman.· Lydia is still friends with her ex-husband.
: somebody's old job/car/girlfriend/boss etc the job, car etc that someone had before the one they have now: · The new stadium is much bigger than the old one.· I saw Phil with one of my old girlfriends.· We all liked the old teacher better.
the person or thing that existed before the one you have just mentioned: · I didn't enjoy Spielberg's last film but I thought the one before was all right.· Each year, the convention is a little larger than the one before.
formal use this especially to talk about someone who used to have a particular job or position but does not any more: · Her former husband now lives in Houston.· Weinberger was an advisor to former president Ronald Reagan.
formal someone's predecessor is the person who had the same job before them: · Vandenberg has been a more active director than his predecessor.· Sally's predecessor had warned her about Nick, one of the company vice-presidents.
formal someone whose ideas or style are later used by another more famous person, or an organization, movement or machine that later develops into one that is more important: precursor of/to: · The abacus was the precursor of the modern electronic calculator.· The Office of Strategic Services was the precursor of the CIA.
the first person, organization, machine etc that existed before the one that exists now and that the one that exists now is based on: forerunner of: · The P-50 is a forerunner of today's supersonic jet.· Hansen played in the American Basketball League, a forerunner of the NBA.
furniture, cars, or machines that are in bad condition
also in a bad state especially British · When I bought the chairs they were in very bad condition.· The car's in pretty bad shape, but I'll give you $300 for it.be in terrible/dreadful etc condition/shape · It's a nice piece of furniture, but in such terrible condition you won't get much money for it.
furniture and other structures that are rickety are in such bad condition that they look as if they would break if you tried to use them: · The staircase was old and rickety.· They sat around the card table on rickety old chairs.· a rickety bamboo fence
something that is battered is old and in bad condition because it has been used a lot and treated roughly: · There was nothing in his office except for a few battered chairs.· Alex and Lisa used to drive around town in a battered old Fiat Uno.
especially spoken if something is falling apart , it is gradually breaking into pieces, because it is old or badly made: · I need some new shoes. These are falling apart.· San Diego's public buildings are falling apart, but the city refuses to do anything about it.
if something is on its last legs , it has been used so much and is in such bad condition that you will soon not be able to use it any more: · The old car was on its last legs, and Renee knew she wouldn't be able to afford a new one.
if something has seen better days it is not in the good condition it once was in, because it is old or has been used a lot: · The carpets, curtains, and cushions had all seen better days but still looked quite pretty.· She lived in a rambling Victorian house that had certainly seen better days.
British informal /beat-up American informal use this about a vehicle or machine that is so old that it does not work properly: · Of course the carpet's a mess - all we've got is a clapped-out old vacuum cleaner.· She drives an old beat-up Ford.
to count numbers, objects etc in order to find the total
to find the total number of things or people in a group by counting them all: · Katherine counted her money. There was almost $50 left.· Count up the number of calories you have each day.· Count the kids as they get on the bus and make sure they're all here.
also tot up British informal to put several numbers or amounts together and calculate the total: add up something: · When we added up the receipts we realized we had spent too much.tot up something: · Just tot up the total and write it at the bottom.add something up: · Five percent may not sound like much but it's a lot of money when you add it all up.tot something up: · Tot the whole lot up to make sure you'll have enough money to pay.
also keep count especially British to keep a record, either on paper or in your memory, of numbers or amounts that increase over a period of time, so that you always know what the total is: · I don't know what the score was. I wasn't keeping count.keep track of: · She was trying to keep count of how many stations they'd passed.· He kept a notebook in the car to keep track of how much money he was spending on gas.
British to keep a record of numbers that are to be added up, for example by writing or marking them on paper: · Steve kept a tally of the days he spent in prison by scratching marks on the wall.· The plastic rings help the sales assistants to keep a tally of the number of garments customers have taken into the changing rooms.
British /at last count American if there is a particular total at the last count, this is what the total was the last time anyone checked: · At the last count, only 18 Japanese firms were making car parts in America.· There are a lot of professional athletes living in the Orlando area -- more than 100 at last count.
when something happens that you did not expect
something that is unexpected surprises you because you did not expect it: · There have been unexpected delays on the freeway because of an accident.completely/totally unexpected: · Bobby's decision to leave the band was totally unexpected.
: unforeseen circumstances/problems/changes etc situations, problems, changes etc that you did not expect or prepare for, and which usually cause you difficulty: · We had to cancel our visit to Egypt because of unforeseen problems.· Once you have started the training you will not be allowed to leave, unless unforeseen circumstances arise.
if something that happens is a surprise or comes as a surprise , you did not expect it to happen, and so you are surprised by it: · Winning the award was a total surprise.be a surprise/come as a surprise to: · Fazio's announcement came as a surprise to most political observers.
informal if something happens out of the blue , you did not expect it, and you are very surprised or shocked by it: · Out of the blue, he asked me to come with him to Europe.· One evening, Angela phoned me out of the blue and said she was in some kind of trouble.
informal one that you did not expect, so that you are very surprised: · Mary's the last person you'd expect to be stopped for drunk driving· It's such a quiet little village - it's the last place you'd expect something like this to happen.
to happen or do something when someone is not expecting it and not ready to deal with it: · I was caught unawares by the hug and the kiss he gave me.· Her rude comments really caught me off guard.
formal if something happens contrary to expectations , it is the opposite of what people expected to happen: · Contrary to expectations, the play was a big success.contrary to somebody's expectations: · Michael won the competition, contrary to everyone's expectations.
happening unexpectedly, because no one was told about it: · Investigators from the health department made unannounced visits to the hospital in March.arrive unannounced/show up unannounced: · My brother is famous for showing up at our houses unannounced, usually around dinner time.
if something happens that you did not expect in your wildest dreams , it is so good that you never thought that there was any possibility that it could happen: · In our wildest dreams, we could not have expected how successful this program would be.never in somebody's wildest dreams: · Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she would win the gold medal.
if you get more than you had bargained for , you have more problems or difficulties while doing something than you had expected or prepared for: · Their summer vacation turned out to be much more expensive than they'd bargained for.· We got more than we bargained for when we bought the house. There's so much work to be done!
to have nearly finished something
especially British also be almost finished/done/through · I'm nearly finished -- I just want to put these files away.· Are you almost done in the shower?· Just give me a couple more minutes. I'm nearly through.
to have almost finished something, especially something that has taken a long time: · The election campaign is now on its last lap.· The regular season is in the home stretch, and the playoffs will soon begin.
British also put the finishing touch/touches on American to finish something by adding the last details, especially in order to make it look nice: · Sue's just putting the finishing touches to her make-up.· Painters are putting the finishing touches on the baseboards and railings.· The team are busy putting the finishing touches to the new design.
to finish something by adding the last parts or details: finish off something: · I came to work early this morning to finish off some urgent work for the boss.finish something off: · I usually partially cook steaks in the microwave and then finish them off on the grill.
to finish a meeting, an agreement etc by dealing with all the details that remain: · If we can tie up the loose ends in the next ten minutes, we'll break for an early lunch.· Apart from a few loose ends that need to be tied up, everything has gone according to schedule.
also finalise British to do the last things that are necessary in order to settle an agreement, plan, or arrangement in a satisfactory way: · Mr Samuels is flying to Detroit to finalize the details and sign the contract.· The meeting has been postponed until travel arrangements can be finalized.
late at night
: it's late · Look, it's late and I'm tired - let's talk about this tomorrow.it's getting late · I must go home now, it's getting late.late at night · I don't like coming home late at night to an empty house.stay up late (=not go to bed until late) · They stayed up late to watch the end of the match.have a late night (=when you go to bed very late) · You look as if you've been having too many late nights recently.
late at night when most people are asleep: · In the middle of the night, I was woken by a loud noise downstairs.· Helen opened the door. "Dave? What's wrong? It's the middle of the night!"
happening or shown late at night: · They kept us awake with their late-night parties.· late-night television· They stopped off for a late-night drink.
informal just before you go to bed: · The soldiers are supposed to polish their shoes last thing at night.
a time which is very late at night, between about 1 o'clock and 4 o'clock in the morning: · The club didn't close till the early hours.the early hours of the morning: · They reached San Francisco in the early hours of the morning.
informal until very late at night - use this when you are annoyed by someone doing something too late at night: · She and her friends used to stay out till all hours, going from club to club.· Better not wake her - she was up till all hours last night, working.
when something happens before it is too late
· David said he'd take me to the concert, if he's home in time.· If you don't leave enough space between your car and the car in front, you may not be able to stop in time.in time to do something · Don't worry, I'll be back in time to cook dinner.· She's hoping to be out of hospital in time to celebrate her birthday at home.in time for · Do you think you'll be fit in time for Saturday's race?
happening or done in time, but almost too late: · She put her foot on the brakes just in time.just in time to do something: · He got to the airport just in time to catch the flight to Madrid.just in time for: · Come in. You're just in time for a cup of coffee.only just in time British: · We were only just in time. A few more minutes and the bank would have been closed.
informal just in time to prevent something bad from happening - often used in stories: · Radio contact was established in the nick of time and we managed to transmit a message to the ship.just in the nick of time: · She escaped from her smoke-filled home just in the nick of time.
just in time to prevent something very bad from happening: · The ambulance finally arrived, not a moment too soon.
if something happens at the last minute , it happens at the latest possible time, just before it is too late: · An American businessman stepped in at the last minute to rescue the company.· Realizing its error at the last minute, the magazine just managed to correct the offending headline.
if something happens at the eleventh hour , it happens at the latest possible time, just before it is too late - use this when you had almost given up hoping that something would happen: · War was averted at the eleventh hour when both sides agreed to talks.
to manage to do something, talk to someone, see something etc just before it is too late: · I managed to catch her just as she was leaving the office.catch the post British (=post letters etc in time for them to be collected that day): · The letters were all addressed and stamped, and there was still plenty of time to catch the post.catch the news/a TV programme etc: · She was rushing to catch her favorite show on TV.
British /cut it close American to have very little time left before you have to be somewhere or do something, so that you are almost late: · Kelly had 10 minutes to reach the studio -- even in normal traffic that was cutting it close.cut it a bit fine: · You're cutting it a bit fine aren't you? The show starts in 2 minutes.cut it pretty close: · We cut it pretty close - we only had 30 minutes to get to the airport.
use this to tell or warn someone to do something now in order to prevent something bad from happening that they will not be able to change later: · You'd better get that letter back from her somehow, before it's too late.· We are urging the government to stop the bombing now, before it's too late.
happening over a period of time up to the present
use this to say that something has been happening for a few weeks or months, and it is still happening now: · Her school work has been much better recently.· I haven't been feeling well recently.just recently: · Just recently I've been thinking about changing my job.more recently: · More recently, banks have offered customers the opportunity to change to PC or telephone banking.
in the recent past until now, especially during the weeks or days closest to now: · The company went through a bad time last year, but lately things have been improving.· I've been really busy lately, so I haven't been out much.· I don't know what's come over Angela lately -- she's so moody.
during the weeks or months closest to now: · Things have changed quite dramatically in the past few months.· I've been thinking about Kevin a lot in the last few days. I wonder how he's getting on?· In the past few years, 30,000 of these high-rise housing units have been torn down.
formal during the weeks or months closest to now - used especially in news reports: · In recent months there have been rumors of at least two attempted coups.· Illicit drug use - notably marijuana - has been increasing in recent years, especially among the young.
words for describing someone or something that remains
especially written the remaining people or things are the ones that are left when all the others have gone, been used, or been dealt with: · Combine the remaining ingredients, mixing well.· The remaining black bears are at risk from development in the area.· the Navy's one remaining aircraft-carrier
the last thing is the only one that remains: · I need to get some more film; this is my last roll.· The last five winners will be named next Tuesday.
left after everything else has been used, and therefore available to be used: · Are there any spare chairs we can borrow?· You can stay with us, we have a spare bedroom.spare change: · I put my spare change in a charity collection box.spare time: · A lot of kids don't have enough to do in their spare time, and that's when they get into trouble.
not used, not eaten etc at the end of a meal or an activity: · Use leftover turkey in casseroles and sandwiches.· She used leftover scraps of fabric to make a patchwork apron.· Take all your leftover bottles to be recycled.
work or money that is outstanding still has to be done or paid, especially after the time when it should have been done or paid: · We need time to catch up with outstanding orders.· Any outstanding claims must be settled by the end of the year.· There are a few problems still outstanding.
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
 Did you see the game on TV last night? The law was passed last August.
 Things have changed since the last time (=the most recent occasion) you were here.
 Anna was the last person to see him alive.
(=last except for one other, two others etc) on the last but one day of his trial
(=last except for one other) the second to last paragraph
(=used to emphasize that you mean all of something) All the money was gone; every last penny of it.
 The last thing she needed was for me to start crying too.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· This is the band's last appearance in the UK before a 46-date tour of Europe.
 I’m going to Cuba next April.
· They made one final attempt to make their marriage work.
(=a final attempt to achieve something before it is too late)· Negotiators are making a last-ditch attempt to save the agreement.
 I was there last August.
 These clubs are the last bastions of male privilege.
· These plans are likely to result in lasting benefit to the whole of our district.
· The boats were built in the last century.
· This is my last chance to try and pass the exam.
· The final chapter summarizes the themes in the book.
(=very fast, because you have very little time remaining)· We only just caught our plane, after a last-minute dash to the airport.
 Last December they visited Prague.
 a last desperate throw of the dice to try and win his wife back
(=continues)· The effect of the drug lasts about six hours.
(=a last effort, when you want very much to achieve something)· Sam took a deep breath and prepared herself for one final effort.
(=all of something, including even the smallest amount of it) They made us pick up every last scrap of paper.
(=being famous for a long time)· Diderot gained lasting fame as the editor of the French Encyclopaedia.
 Mum died last February.
 The office has been closed for the last few days.
 The first and last mountain I climbed was Mount Rundle (=it was the only mountain I ever climbed).
 I wanted that moment to last forever.
 I had a terrible time last Friday.
· This began a lasting friendship between the two women.
· A last-minute goal condemned Fulham to a 0–1 home defeat.
· He struggled with ill health in the latter half of his life.
(=happiness that continues)· Leonie had found a lasting happiness in her relationship with Jim.
· The injury caused him discomfort but no lasting harm.
 He was last heard of in Washington (=he was in Washington the last time someone had information about him).
 In spite of some technical hitches, the first program was a success.
· The meeting lasted almost two hours.
(=one that lasts for a long time)· The arrival of the railways made a lasting impact on many sectors of the economy.
(=one that someone remembers for a long time)· Sam’s performance had clearly made a lasting impression on the audience.
(=continuing for a long time)· His travels in Africa had a lasting influence on his work.
 I haven’t heard from him since last January.
 Laura came over to England last July.
 I finished school last June.
 The last lap of their journey was by ship.
 If you leave your preparation until the last minute, you’ll reduce your chances of passing. I left the best bit until last.
· Your name will be first on my list.· Why am I always last on the list?
 She started work here last March.
 She started work here last May.
 An appeal has been launched to build a lasting memorial to the composer.
(=that you will always have)· The children's abiding memory of their father is of his patience and gentleness.
 Kelly arrived last Monday.
· The new restaurant opened last month.
· It rained last night.
 He started work here last November.
 We moved in last October.
 ‘When did you email her?’ ‘Only yesterday.’
· We had reached the last part of our journey.
· He has the chance to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians.
 She’s down to her last penny.
· There is one final point I would like to make.
(=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day)· The last post is at 5.30.
(also finish first/last etc in a race)· She came third in the race.
(=the place where someone is buried)
 A priest came to give him the last rites.
 I knew there would be a last-minute rush to meet the deadline.
 I saw Sally last Saturday at the mall.
 I haven’t heard from him since last September.
· He visited Brittany last summer.
 It was our wedding anniversary last Sunday.
· On the last day of term we went home early.
 He was arrested last Thursday.
 It was my birthday last Tuesday.
(=that will be important or useful for a long time)· He wanted to achieve something of lasting value.
 The new law removed the last vestiges of royal power.
 They left last Wednesday.
· Last week, my washing machine broke down.
· We were in Glasgow last weekend.
formal (=someone's will)
· Her last wish was to be buried in her husband’s grave.
· Last year we spent a lot on the house.
· He changed his opinion during the last years of his life.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
  • Take a couple of these pills last thing at night to help you get to sleep.
  • I agree with that last thing.
  • It was the last thing he wanted to do.
  • The last thing he said to me last night: I still want that money.
  • The last thing Republicans need is a nominee who runs from the Republican House, who is defensive about their agenda.
  • The last thing she felt, apart from the pain, was surprise.
  • The last thing that I want to do is stray out of order.
  • The last thing you need is confusion over that.
  • Working is the last thing on their minds.
  • Sarah looks as if she's on her last legs.
  • His exit, when he truly is on his last legs, is his most effective gambit.
  • It's an old established set-up, but I reckon it's on its last legs now.
  • It was a nightmare, anyone reading the papers would think I was on my last legs.
  • Martin Glimmer is the 50-something horn player on his last legs.
  • The battery, like the torch's owner, was on its last legs.
  • The fenders flapped in the breeze, and the engine coughed and wheezed like an old man on his last legs.
  • Without some fresh thinking the G8 is probably on its last legs as an effective body.
  • Your car sounds like it's on its last legs.
  • It's an old established set-up, but I reckon it's on its last legs now.
  • The battery, like the torch's owner, was on its last legs.
  • Without some fresh thinking the G8 is probably on its last legs as an effective body.
  • It's the last word in luxury resorts.
  • But if airships were the last word in luxury then the penultimate word belonged to the flying boat.
  • It may be the last word in consumer issues but it has never been available on news stands.
  • Needless to say, this is not going to be the last word in the debate between the constructivists and the nativists.
  • Sandy Lyle at the new club which is the last word in luxury golfing.
  • With its 700-feet-long façade and 600-feet-long porte cochère, it is the last word in grandiose monumentalism.
  • At rest the cricket looks like a dead leaf, but it transforms itself at the last moment.
  • At the last minute a sense of something unsaid made her hurry after him.
  • At the last moment, it veered away and came to halt by a vent.
  • Fortunately, Chrysler dropped the idea for such a fin at the last minute.
  • I can not chuck them at the last minute.
  • In Madrid Casado triumphed and at the last moment Communist power was broken.
  • Perhaps he could arrange for Anthony to go sick at the last minute.
  • The bends in the road came at the last moment.
  • Chad's the last person I would ask for advice.
  • The last thing we wanted was to go into debt.
  • And you were the last person to see her.
  • He was the last person a nerve-racked trader wanted to see.
  • I already had two children, and the last thing I wanted was a third.
  • I know you had a terrible time and the last thing I meant to do was to upset you.
  • Kris Johnson will be the last person to wear Marques' No. 54.
  • So the last thing I want to do is watch somebody else do it.
  • You know, in your heart, it is the last thing that charlatan wants.
  • For Amy this was the last straw.
  • For some reason that Jinny did not quite understand, it was the last straw.
  • For some, the effort to silence Zundel was the last straw.
  • His electoral thefts were the last straw.
  • Mr Brown said the planned charges were the last straw for customers already angry over banks' high-handed attitude.
  • My getting this malignancy is the last straw, in her opinion.
  • Sending in bailiffs was the last straw.
  • Transport pressure groups believe this will be the last straw for some services.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
  • In the final analysis Stalin was just as much a dictator as Hitler.
  • In the final analysis, the project was a failure.
  • The responsibility for the accident must, in the last analysis, rest with the captain.
  • And, in the final analysis, are they any good?
  • But in the final analysis it had been he who wanted out.
  • But in the final analysis, these are just details.
  • It should also comfort to recognize that, in the final analysis, these sums are operating to purify decision-making.
  • That, in the final analysis, is what organizational control is all about.
  • The pressures driving research evaluation are, in the final analysis, political.
  • The shift of leadership to John Smith may seem temporarily convincing, but it is in the last analysis cosmetic.
  • The Trotskyist movement could benefit only in the final analysis and in the long range.
  • With his last breath, he told me he would always love me.
  • Five hours more and she'd breathe her last and never know them.
  • In the blue light of the morning he breathed his last.
  • Large-scale, publicly-owned enterprises will breathe their last gasp and wither away well before the state which spawned them.
  • Millions who were dangerously ill or breathing their last.
  • The moment Carey was confident that Elizabeth had breathed her last he was in the saddle, racing for the Border.
  • When it looked as though he was breathing his last, Beria's face shone with delight.
► the last but one/the next but two etc
  • At the last count, only 18 Japanese firms were making car parts in America.
  • There are a lot of professional athletes living in the Orlando area -- more than 100 at last count.
  • Apart from Summerchild and a clerical assistant, the Unit at the last count still consisted of one single member, Serafin herself.
  • I have, at the last count, 19 separate applications under consideration by 12 separate funding bodies.
  • It has now become a challenge to find new varieties of herb - at the last count there were just over 130.
  • More than 200, in fact, at the last count.
  • My sister Mahaud, at the last count, had more admirers than there are Elks.
  • The total world population was put at 190 at the last count.
  • They have been joined by a growing group of people denied entry, 198 at the last count.
  • Yet at the last count there were six oil-rich states bordering the Gulf.
► be down to your last pound/dollar/litre etc
  • So he said, with those famous last words, "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
  • And a system whose first and last resort was all too often expediency.
  • At Banff I climbed my first and last mountain - Mount Rundle.
  • For the first and last time in her life, Amelia was too preoccupied to interact with her peers.
  • I sat back and treated myself to a cigarette, determined to make it the first and last of the day.
  • Instead of pressing the spacebar anywhere between the first and last characters of the text, press the Home spacebar.
  • It was the first and last time that management capitulated in the face of a departing mortgage trader.
  • She wrote that she was dying of a fever, and asked him to visit her for the first and last time.
  • These records included the first and last dates of all absences and the reason for absence.
  • This cold spell appears to be winter's last gasp for the year.
  • But it also was the last gasp for a team on the slide.
  • Large-scale, publicly-owned enterprises will breathe their last gasp and wither away well before the state which spawned them.
  • Sometimes even negative change is interpreted as merely the last gasp of the resistant old order.
  • That is the way to add people on their last gasp to the repossessed list, not reduce it.
  • This is the last gasp of the Romantic revolution that Beethoven instigated.
  • Whether it is a rebirth or a last gasp remains to be seen.
► too good to be true/to last► not hear the last of somebody
  • Advocates just seem to take it on faith that annexation is the only hope of salvation for this city.
  • But mad or not, you are my only hope, Meg.
  • But Thomas Sachs was now her only hope.
  • I expected to be disappointed, though the letter was now my only hope.
  • In the long term, Mr Heseltine said that privatisation was the only hope for the industry.
  • Is he only hoping to make money?
  • Robert Urquhart was her only hope, her only ally.
  • That was the only hope I had of reaching the doctor.
  • Despite his bulk, he jumped several fences in a last-ditch attempt to escape.
  • Horrified by his latest intentions, they were perhaps genuinely considering a last-ditch attempt to save him from himself.
  • Last night, Mr Jones said he was involved in a last-ditch effort to save the unit.
  • Munich had inspired a last-ditch attempt to bring down Chamberlain and save the peace.
  • Not as a second-rate effort or a last-ditch effort.
  • So finally, in a last-ditch attempt to salvage the exercise as a whole, the following workshop activity was developed.
  • The Republican victories came despite a last-ditch effort by the president to help Democratic candidates.
► the last judgment► the last post► the last rites
  • Boy did he have the last laugh.
  • Holding a rolling pin and determined to have the last laugh.
  • Yet women drivers have the last laugh.
► to a man/to the last man
  • Marriage is the last thing on my mind right now.
  • And with so many players rushing into the market at the last minute, prices soared.
  • As expected, Rachel canceled at the last minute.
  • At the last minute a sense of something unsaid made her hurry after him.
  • At the last minute the parent would abandon its charade and fly off to safety.
  • At the last minute, McCain was relegated to the Oval Office.
  • Not all were satisfied that the last minute restrictions were necessary.
  • Work is still going on in fitting out a new store right up to the last minute.
  • At the last moment he saw an apple lying on the dresser and put it in his pocket.
  • At the last moment, I looked up at the sky.
  • But at the last moment courage failed them.
  • I took the can carefully away at the last moment.
  • I was hoping to hit him, but he dove clear at the last moment.
  • In Madrid Casado triumphed and at the last moment Communist power was broken.
  • We keep getting ready to go to oh all sorts of places - but at the last moment something always comes up.
  • Stewart was assured of the championship in the next to last race of the year.
  • Lock the doors and turn off the lights last thing at night.
  • The soldiers are supposed to polish their shoes last thing at night.
  • Empty ashtrays last thing at night, and don't smoke in bed.
  • It's the first thing I look at when I wake up, the last thing at night.
  • It was after dark; the last thing at night.
  • Of course, only in moderate quantities, and generally to be taken last thing at night.
  • The only times my father could be found in his room were first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
  • The rosary last thing at night.
  • This can be carried out last thing at night, once the puppy has been outside to relieve itself.
  • Why not set a few moments aside first thing in the morning and last thing at night?
  • It had taken every ounce of courage she possessed to board the aircraft after her last experience.
  • They took everything she had, down to the last penny.
  • Great power status was in the last resort the ability to wage war.
  • In buildings of more than two storeys, wait for the fire brigade, and jump only as a last resort.
  • Lithium was to be a last resort, and it looked as if she needed some in October.
  • Only in the last resort, under careful international policing and after all other attempts at persuasion have been exhausted.
  • That was a last resort, they said.
  • The guidance emphasises that restraint should be used as a last resort within a caring and disciplined home environment.
  • They also want to use public community service jobs as a last resort, something Wilson strongly opposes.
  • Who is the lender of last resort stopping financial panics and capital outflows from bringing the system down?
  • At the graveside, a volley of shots ... before a Hercules flew overhead to pay its last respects.
  • Many thousands paid their last respects to Dubcek at his funeral in Bratislava on Nov. 15.
  • The Krays, Richardsons, and many more villains had come to pay their last respects.
  • This was quite a normal thing at that time and neighbours would call to pay their last respects.
  • Both were given last rites before being taken into the operating room.
  • But they can not perform Catholic sacramental duties, such as hearing confession, offering Communion or giving last rites.
  • It might as well have been the last rites.
  • So he did what he has become accustomed to doing - gave the last rites.
  • The Steelers were one Hail Mary away from last rites.
  • They will have nothing to do with Catholic baptisms, marriages, or last rites.
  • When a priest arrived to administer the last rites, Mansell sent him away.
  • Your marriage has got off to an unfortunate start but it doesn't warrant the last rites just yet.
  • I hope we've seen the last of Tina Hughes' stupid boyfriend!
  • All she did know was that she hadn't seen the last of him by a long chalk!
  • At the end of the ceremony, they would see the last of the candidates step into the silvery baptismal pool.
  • But still the house of Eli has not seen the last of it.
  • Hadn't she thought she'd seen the last of Rourke Deveraugh?
  • History is full of such isms, and we have hardly seen the last of them.
  • It was a relief to see the last of them.
  • We haven't seen the last of Bonnie.
  • We may not have seen the last of this controversy.
  • Making me work late on a Friday was the last straw!
  • Suzy lying to me about the money was the last straw.
  • And they felt that the pressures of her work had been the last straw.
  • For some reason that Jinny did not quite understand, it was the last straw.
  • For some, the effort to silence Zundel was the last straw.
  • His electoral thefts were the last straw.
  • Mr Brown said the planned charges were the last straw for customers already angry over banks' high-handed attitude.
  • My getting this malignancy is the last straw, in her opinion.
  • Recruitment of 40 top staff was the last straw.
  • Sending in bailiffs was the last straw.
  • I like going to bed with her when going to bed with me is the last thing she wants.
  • To be slipshod is to be hounded, which is the last thing he wants.
  • With household costs inevitably rising, the last thing he wants is a larger mortgage than he can reasonably afford.
  • It was the last thing he ever saw.
  • Nobody can get to that last thing.
  • Right now the last thing she wanted was to have them say it to her.
  • The last thing Ardamal heard as he raced down the corridor was the tinkle of metal parts hitting the floor.
  • The last thing I will be is a high-wire walker.
  • This is the last thing President Mikhail Gorbachev needs, as he tries to contain a staggering economic crisis.
  • When you have a chance to shoot 59, the last thing you want to do is leave it short.
  • With household costs inevitably rising, the last thing he wants is a larger mortgage than he can reasonably afford.
  • The final word rests with the board.
  • But the final word must be reserved for the destructive, disruptive role played by George Bush's administration.
  • But the project belonged ultimately to the pupils and they should have the last words.
  • By no means has the last word been written on the quantum Hall effect.
  • Dana was opinionated and liked to have the last word in an argument.
  • He had learned to let Leah have the last word.
  • Intimacy is probably the last word anyone would use in connection with the Coliseum.
  • Let that be the last word.
  • So they do; but that is not the last word, only the first.
1most recent or nearest to the present time → next(12):  I hadn’t seen him since the last meeting.last night/week/year etc Did you see the game on TV last night? The law was passed last August. Interest in golf has grown rapidly in the last ten years. Things have changed since the last time (=the most recent occasion) you were here.2happening or existing at the end, with no others after OPP  first:  I didn’t read the last chapter of the book. The next meeting will be held in the last week in June.the last person/thing etc to do something Anna was the last person to see him alive.last but one/two etc (=last except for one other, two others etc) on the last but one day of his trialsecond/next to last (=last except for one other) the second to last paragraph3remaining after all others have gone, been used etc:  Can I have the last piece of cake?every last (=used to emphasize that you mean all of something) All the money was gone; every last penny of it.4the last minute/moment the latest possible time before something happens:  Travelers will find it hard to get a hotel room at the last minute. He never makes a decision until almost the last moment.5the last person/thing used to make a strong negative statement about someone or something:  She’s the last person I’d expect to meet in a disco (=I would not expect to meet her in a disco at all). Money was the last thing I cared about right now.the last thing somebody needs/wants The last thing she needed was for me to start crying too.6be the last straw to be the final thing in a series of annoying things that makes someone very angry:  He’d broken his promise again, and it was the last straw.7last thing (at night) at the very end of the day:  Take a couple of these pills last thing at night to help you sleep.8on your last legs informal a)very tired:  Sarah looks as if she’s on her last legs. b)very ill and likely to die soon9on its last legs informal old or in bad condition, and likely to stop working soon:  The car’s on its last legs.10be the last word in something to be the best, most modern, or most comfortable example of something:  It’s the last word in luxury holidays. → last resort at resort1(2), → with your last/dying breath at breath(9), → last hurrah, → have the last laugh at laugh2(6), → the last/final word at word1(15)THESAURUSthe one before this onelast most recent or nearest to the present time: · His last film was much better.· It rained all day last Saturday.· The last time I saw her was two years ago.previous [only before noun] before this one, or before the one that you are talking about: · See the diagram in the previous chapter.· His previous records had all been jazz records.· How much were you earning in your previous job?former [only before noun] formal existing or having a particular position in the past, but not now: · the former Soviet Union· the former US president· Interest rates are unlikely to return to their former level.· the former Chief Executiveold [only before noun] used about a person or thing that existed in the past, but has been replaced by a newer one: · an old boyfriend· The old model was much slower.the one that comes at the endlast [only before noun] happening or existing at the end, with no others after: · What time does the last train leave?· Our house is the last one on the right.final [only before noun] last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc: · It’s the final game of the championship tomorrow.· the final scene of the filmclosing [only before noun] used about the last part of a long period of time, or of an event, book etc that has been exciting or interesting: · the closing years of the twentieth century· Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing minutes of the game.concluding [only before noun] used about the last part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event, that ends it in a definite way: · the concluding section of the report· the judge’s concluding remarkspenultimate /peˈnʌltəmət, pə-/ [only before noun] the one before the last one: · the penultimate chapter
last1 determiner, adjectivelast2 adverblast3 noun, pronounlast4 verblast5 noun
lastlast2 ●●● S1 W1 adverb Examples
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
  • Connect the red wires first and the black ones last.
  • I'm saving that chocolate for last.
  • I do all our dishes, and leave the dog's dish till last.
  • I was told I'll be speaking last.
  • The teacher called out my name last.
  • When I saw her last, she was pregnant.
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
  • Despite experiencing tiredness and illness at times, she can't remember when she last took time off work.
  • Isetan shares were last offered at 1, 620 yen, down 1. 8 percent from its closing price yesterday.
  • Josie came out of the school almost last.
  • Oakland and the New York Mets last did it in 1973.
  • Yet there was a change in his lad since he had last seen him.
Thesaurus
Longman Language Activatorcoming at the end after all others
happening or coming at the end, with no others after: · What time does the last train leave?· Could you repeat the last number for me please?· I really struggled on that last question.· Don't miss the last episode tonight at 8.00 p.m.· I may as well eat that last little piece.very last (=use this to emphasize that something is last): · The very last train leaves at 1.00 a.m.the last time: · That was the last time I ever saw her. (=I never saw her again)last chance: · Today is your last chance to visit the fashion show, which ends this evening.the last: · That lecture was the last in the series.
last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc: · Are you going to watch the final episode of 'The X-Files' tomorrow night?· He got as far as the final interviews, but he didn't get the job unfortunately.· I'd like to make one final point before we move on to another subject.final stages/moments/minutes (=at or near the end of a period or process): · The president appears tired but hopeful as the final stages of the negotiations begin today.· Whitney made both free throws in the final minute of the game.final game/round/match etc: · A victory over Fresno State in the final game Saturday would produce a record run of wins.· The two men were tied for the lead going into today's final round of the Dunlop Phoenix golf tournament.
the closing part of an event or period of time is the last part of it - use this especially when something important or exciting happens: the closing stages/chapter/sentence etc: · Marcos is expected to address the closing session of the conference later Monday.· The rider from the Netherlands is still in the lead as the Tour de France enters its closing stage today.· The closing scene of 'Casablanca' is one of the great moments of film history.closing seconds/minutes/years etc: · Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing seconds of the game.· the closing years of the 20th centuryclosing argument (=the final speech made by a lawyer in a court): · After the defense finishes its closing argument, the prosecution will have the opportunity to reply.
the concluding part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event is the last part of it, which finishes it in the way that was planned: concluding stages/chapter/remarks etc: · We will return to these points in the concluding chapter.· In his concluding remarks, Santos drew attention to the issues facing developing countries. · The Appeal court will, at the concluding stage, test its own opinions against those of the judges in the original hearing.
formal the second of two things or people that are being compared with each other: · Opportunities for men and women, though especially the latter, are limited to employment in agriculture or domestic service.· There were two candidates for the presidency, Lyndon B Johnson and Senator Barry Goldwater. The latter was known to hold extreme right-wing views.
to be the last one in a line, group, race etc
· There's no point in trying, because I know I'm going to be last.· We were last in a very long queue, so I knew we'd have a long wait.be (the) last to do something · Sally was last to arrive.· His plane was always the first to take off, and the last to land.be last in line (=be the last person to have something, especially when this seems unfair) · I was the youngest in a family of four, so I was always last in line for clothes and toys.· Let's just say I don't want to be last in line for promotion.
also come last British to finish a race or competition in the last position: · Our school always comes in last in the regional competition.· Bakatin came last with just 3.4% of the vote.· Despite finishing last of six, he was only beaten by two lengths.
to be last in a line or group of people, cars, ships etc that is moving forward: · We all followed our guide up the path, Marcus and I bringing up the rear.· The funeral hearse was followed by cars full of friends, and a company of Life Guards brought up the rear.
a person who is too slow to keep the same speed as the rest of the group they are with, so that they move along some distance behind: · A few stragglers got lost in the fog.· After three and a half hours, the stragglers were still coming through.
the one just before the last one
coming just before the last one in a series, list, line etc: · I've nearly finished this test. I'm on the next to last question.· "How much have you read?" "I'm on the second to last chapter."· It wasn't until the next to last day of the vacation that she dared to go to the beach.
British the one just before the last one: · She had several husbands. Garry Burton, the last but one, was a real alcoholic.· He and his family escaped on the last but one ship to leave Hamburg.· There's a long row of houses and I live in the last but one.
especially British, formal coming just before the last one: · We booked a moped for the penultimate day of the holiday.· Particularly impressive is the horn section on the penultimate track, 'Just Jivin' Around'.penultimate stage/step: · These trials are actually the penultimate step toward choosing the Olympic team for this summer's games.penultimate game/round/lap etc: · Eric scored a timely win in the penultimate round of the Formula 1 championship.· His horse slipped and fell at the penultimate fence.
what you say to introduce the last thing in a speech etc
use this when something is the last thing you want to say, especially at the end of a long speech or piece of writing: · Finally, I'd like to thank all those people who helped make the conference such a success.· And finally, don't miss Albuquerque's amazing punk band, playing tonight at the Lunar Club.
use this to say that something is the last of a list of things, or when something is the last thing you want to say: · Now lastly, before you all leave, I want to mention some tips for the interview stage.· And lastly, Delia, do you see the movement towards more and more computerization continuing in the future?· Firstly it's too big, secondly we can't afford it, and lastly we don't really need it.
use this when you are mentioning the last person or thing in a list, to emphasize that they are just as important as all the others: · Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new accountant.· And last but not least, I thank Begona Canup for her interest in the book.last but certainly not/by no means least: · Social Security has reduced poverty, and last, but by no means least, it has been a good deal for participants.
to continue for a particular period of time
use this to say how long something continues: · Mexico achieved a remarkable 8% annual growth rate, but the new prosperity did not last.· Ours was a happy marriage, but I always feared it wouldn't last.last 2 hours/6 months/a long time etc: · The whole opera lasts about four hours.· The earthquake lasted 30 seconds and caused 12,000 casualties.· The silence in the room seemed to last a very long time before she spoke.· rainstorms lasting all night long· Each consultation can last between 10 minutes and half an hour.last for 2 hours/a long time/years etc: · The performance is expected to last for approximately 3 hours.· The effects of Josie's experience could last for years, doctors say.last from/until etc: · The talks lasted until the early hours of the morning.· The drug produces a powerful cocaine-type high that lasts for days.· The Sung dynasty lasted from 960 to 1278.last into the 19th century/1980s/next decade etc: · This phase of the educational campaign lasted into the 1960s.last long: · Analysts are confident the downturn in share prices will not last long.· It's the worst cold I've ever had, but luckily it didn't last very long.last forever: · I wanted the weekend to last forever.last as long as: · The pilots say the walkout could last as long as two months.
use this when you want to say how much time is needed to do something or for something to happen: take 2 hours/6 months etc: · The bridge was closed, so the journey took much longer than usual.· Can you give me an idea how long this is going to take?· It took two years for Eddie to learn how to walk again.take 2 hours/6 months etc to do: · The software will take a few minutes to load.· They're just fun books, they don't take very long to read.take somebody 2 hours/6 months etc to do: · Doing the painting alone will take him all day.it takes (somebody) 2 hours/six months etc to do something: · It takes me about half an hour to get ready in the mornings.· It didn't take Susie long to find out what was going on between us.· It took three and a half hours to come back from Swansea.
if something, especially something boring or unpleasant, goes on for a particular period of time, that is how long it lasts: · The chairman's speech went on for what seemed like hours.· It sounds like the sort of meeting that could go on forever.· It starts at seven, but I don't know how long it goes on for.· It was a big lawsuit, and it went on for quite a while.
use this about something that seems to continue for a long time: · The siege dragged on into its second month.drag on for: · I can't afford to let the case drag on for months.
if a play, show, event etc runs for a particular period of time, it continues to be shown or performed for that period of time: · The Ideal Homes exhibition will run until 6 p.m. each day over the weekend.run for: · The play ran for two months on Broadway.· The media campaign features four commercials that will run for eight weeks.· One of the top sit-coms was 'On the Buses', which ran for sixty episodesrun and run British (=used in newspapers, magazines etc to say that a play, show etc will be very successful and will be performed for a long time): · This is one that will, I believe, run and run.
if a process, activity, event etc extends over a long period of time, it continues for that period of time: · We had a marathon recording session extending over eighteen hours.· If the investigation is a sustained piece of work extending over a period of weeks, a diary will help to track events.
to stay in good condition for a particular period of time
use this about clothes, equipment, furniture etc to say how long they will remain in good condition: · Cheap saucepans can't really be expected to last.· It's amazing how long this car has lasted, really.· You can get washable plastic lace by the yard, which lasts much better than the real thing.last (for) 7 years/2 months/a long time etc: · Some wine-makers will tell you that a cask lasts only for four years.· When the houses were put up in 1946, they really weren't meant to last more than ten years.last (somebody) a lifetime (=last a very long time): · With care, a mahogany dining table will last you a lifetime.· Well-made golf clubs ought to last a lifetime, so it's worth paying the extra.
use this about food or drink to say how long it will remain fresh: · You'd better eat these cakes today -- they won't keep.keep for 2 days/24 hours etc: · The yoghurt will keep for about a week in a refrigerator.keep until/till: · Do you think this bacon will keep till tomorrow?keep well: · Eat celery as soon as possible -- it does not keep well for long periods.
use this about food or about flowers that have been cut: · Homemade bread never stays as fresh as the stuff you buy in the supermarket.stay fresh for 2 weeks/2 days/a long time etc: · Strain the stock and put in a sealed container. It should stay fresh for up to three days.· Bend the stems, as this will make the blooms stay fresh for longer.
when a supply of something continues to be enough
if a supply of something lasts for a particular period of time, there continues to be enough of it for someone to use until the end of that period: last (somebody) two weeks/three days etc: · He knew they only had enough food to last another three days.· $400 won't last you long in Chicago.
to use a supply of something carefully so that it is not all used quickly: · I sent my sister $500, with some advice on how to make it last.make something last longer/a long time etc: · You can add ice or additional mixer to alcoholic drinks make them last longer.· One group delayed spending the grant in order to make its funds last as long as possible.· She only had a small amount of food left, and knew she'd have to make it last the week.
to make a small amount of something such as food or money last longer, by carefully using only very small amounts of it -- used especially in literature: eke out something: · Dealers are mixing the drug with heroin and cocaine to eke out their supplies.· She lived on a shoestring during these years, eking out the pennies as best she could. eke something out: · I'm not ashamed to eke food out.
types of film
after a long period of time, especially after a lot of difficulties or after a long delay: · After a lot of questioning, James finally admitted he had taken the car.· In the end, I decided that the best thing to do was to ask Billy for help.· The plane eventually arrived at 6:30 - over three hours late.
use this when something good happens after you have waited for it for a long time: · I'm really glad that Ken's found a job at last.· At last the rain stopped and the players came back on the field.at long last (=after a very long time): · At long last he was able to see his family again.
if something is going to happen sooner or later , it will certainly happen but you do not know exactly when: · Sooner or later this would end up in the papers, and I would be out of a job.· I'm sure Brian will turn up sooner or later.· He is worried that sooner or later his business will fail.
use this to say that something will happen at some time in the future, especially something that you hope will happen, although you do not know exactly when: · They're bound to find a cure for cancer one day.· I knew that we would meet again one day.· One day ordinary people will be able to travel in space.
after a particular period of time, especially after a gradual process of change or development: · She started as an office junior, and in time became director of the whole company.· Jarvis was a strange man, but in time I got to like him.
if someone or something ends up in a particular situation or condition, they eventually come to be in that situation or condition - use this especially about something bad that happens: · Forbes ended up in prison for not paying his taxes.· The sweater that my mum knitted ended up twice the size it should have been.end up doing something: · We ended up having to postpone our vacation.end up as: · Our chess game finally ended up as a draw.
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
(=used when giving a final point or piece of information) Last of all, I’d like to thank everyone for coming.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· This is the band's last appearance in the UK before a 46-date tour of Europe.
 I’m going to Cuba next April.
· They made one final attempt to make their marriage work.
(=a final attempt to achieve something before it is too late)· Negotiators are making a last-ditch attempt to save the agreement.
 I was there last August.
 These clubs are the last bastions of male privilege.
· These plans are likely to result in lasting benefit to the whole of our district.
· The boats were built in the last century.
· This is my last chance to try and pass the exam.
· The final chapter summarizes the themes in the book.
(=very fast, because you have very little time remaining)· We only just caught our plane, after a last-minute dash to the airport.
 Last December they visited Prague.
 a last desperate throw of the dice to try and win his wife back
(=continues)· The effect of the drug lasts about six hours.
(=a last effort, when you want very much to achieve something)· Sam took a deep breath and prepared herself for one final effort.
(=all of something, including even the smallest amount of it) They made us pick up every last scrap of paper.
(=being famous for a long time)· Diderot gained lasting fame as the editor of the French Encyclopaedia.
 Mum died last February.
 The office has been closed for the last few days.
 The first and last mountain I climbed was Mount Rundle (=it was the only mountain I ever climbed).
 I wanted that moment to last forever.
 I had a terrible time last Friday.
· This began a lasting friendship between the two women.
· A last-minute goal condemned Fulham to a 0–1 home defeat.
· He struggled with ill health in the latter half of his life.
(=happiness that continues)· Leonie had found a lasting happiness in her relationship with Jim.
· The injury caused him discomfort but no lasting harm.
 He was last heard of in Washington (=he was in Washington the last time someone had information about him).
 In spite of some technical hitches, the first program was a success.
· The meeting lasted almost two hours.
(=one that lasts for a long time)· The arrival of the railways made a lasting impact on many sectors of the economy.
(=one that someone remembers for a long time)· Sam’s performance had clearly made a lasting impression on the audience.
(=continuing for a long time)· His travels in Africa had a lasting influence on his work.
 I haven’t heard from him since last January.
 Laura came over to England last July.
 I finished school last June.
 The last lap of their journey was by ship.
 If you leave your preparation until the last minute, you’ll reduce your chances of passing. I left the best bit until last.
· Your name will be first on my list.· Why am I always last on the list?
 She started work here last March.
 She started work here last May.
 An appeal has been launched to build a lasting memorial to the composer.
(=that you will always have)· The children's abiding memory of their father is of his patience and gentleness.
 Kelly arrived last Monday.
· The new restaurant opened last month.
· It rained last night.
 He started work here last November.
 We moved in last October.
 ‘When did you email her?’ ‘Only yesterday.’
· We had reached the last part of our journey.
· He has the chance to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians.
 She’s down to her last penny.
· There is one final point I would like to make.
(=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day)· The last post is at 5.30.
(also finish first/last etc in a race)· She came third in the race.
(=the place where someone is buried)
 A priest came to give him the last rites.
 I knew there would be a last-minute rush to meet the deadline.
 I saw Sally last Saturday at the mall.
 I haven’t heard from him since last September.
· He visited Brittany last summer.
 It was our wedding anniversary last Sunday.
· On the last day of term we went home early.
 He was arrested last Thursday.
 It was my birthday last Tuesday.
(=that will be important or useful for a long time)· He wanted to achieve something of lasting value.
 The new law removed the last vestiges of royal power.
 They left last Wednesday.
· Last week, my washing machine broke down.
· We were in Glasgow last weekend.
formal (=someone's will)
· Her last wish was to be buried in her husband’s grave.
· Last year we spent a lot on the house.
· He changed his opinion during the last years of his life.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
  • Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife for her support.
  • Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new accountant.
  • And last but not least, I thank Begona Canup for her interest in the book.
  • Social Security has reduced poverty, and last, but by no means least, it has been a good deal for participants.
  • And last but not least, the baby of the family.
  • And last but not least, there are all those damn kids sharing files and scaring the media moguls shiftless.
  • And, last but not least, its growth and production has a huge impact on the environment we live in.
  • And, last but not least, my cousin Bishop Malduin of Kinrimund with, no doubt, his stepson Colban.
  • And, last but not least, they might re-read the scores while listening.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
  • In the final analysis Stalin was just as much a dictator as Hitler.
  • In the final analysis, the project was a failure.
  • The responsibility for the accident must, in the last analysis, rest with the captain.
  • And, in the final analysis, are they any good?
  • But in the final analysis it had been he who wanted out.
  • But in the final analysis, these are just details.
  • It should also comfort to recognize that, in the final analysis, these sums are operating to purify decision-making.
  • That, in the final analysis, is what organizational control is all about.
  • The pressures driving research evaluation are, in the final analysis, political.
  • The shift of leadership to John Smith may seem temporarily convincing, but it is in the last analysis cosmetic.
  • The Trotskyist movement could benefit only in the final analysis and in the long range.
  • With his last breath, he told me he would always love me.
  • Five hours more and she'd breathe her last and never know them.
  • In the blue light of the morning he breathed his last.
  • Large-scale, publicly-owned enterprises will breathe their last gasp and wither away well before the state which spawned them.
  • Millions who were dangerously ill or breathing their last.
  • The moment Carey was confident that Elizabeth had breathed her last he was in the saddle, racing for the Border.
  • When it looked as though he was breathing his last, Beria's face shone with delight.
► the last but one/the next but two etc
  • At the last count, only 18 Japanese firms were making car parts in America.
  • There are a lot of professional athletes living in the Orlando area -- more than 100 at last count.
  • Apart from Summerchild and a clerical assistant, the Unit at the last count still consisted of one single member, Serafin herself.
  • I have, at the last count, 19 separate applications under consideration by 12 separate funding bodies.
  • It has now become a challenge to find new varieties of herb - at the last count there were just over 130.
  • More than 200, in fact, at the last count.
  • My sister Mahaud, at the last count, had more admirers than there are Elks.
  • The total world population was put at 190 at the last count.
  • They have been joined by a growing group of people denied entry, 198 at the last count.
  • Yet at the last count there were six oil-rich states bordering the Gulf.
► be down to your last pound/dollar/litre etc
  • So he said, with those famous last words, "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
  • And a system whose first and last resort was all too often expediency.
  • At Banff I climbed my first and last mountain - Mount Rundle.
  • For the first and last time in her life, Amelia was too preoccupied to interact with her peers.
  • I sat back and treated myself to a cigarette, determined to make it the first and last of the day.
  • Instead of pressing the spacebar anywhere between the first and last characters of the text, press the Home spacebar.
  • It was the first and last time that management capitulated in the face of a departing mortgage trader.
  • She wrote that she was dying of a fever, and asked him to visit her for the first and last time.
  • These records included the first and last dates of all absences and the reason for absence.
  • This cold spell appears to be winter's last gasp for the year.
  • But it also was the last gasp for a team on the slide.
  • Large-scale, publicly-owned enterprises will breathe their last gasp and wither away well before the state which spawned them.
  • Sometimes even negative change is interpreted as merely the last gasp of the resistant old order.
  • That is the way to add people on their last gasp to the repossessed list, not reduce it.
  • This is the last gasp of the Romantic revolution that Beethoven instigated.
  • Whether it is a rebirth or a last gasp remains to be seen.
► too good to be true/to last► not hear the last of somebody
  • Advocates just seem to take it on faith that annexation is the only hope of salvation for this city.
  • But mad or not, you are my only hope, Meg.
  • But Thomas Sachs was now her only hope.
  • I expected to be disappointed, though the letter was now my only hope.
  • In the long term, Mr Heseltine said that privatisation was the only hope for the industry.
  • Is he only hoping to make money?
  • Robert Urquhart was her only hope, her only ally.
  • That was the only hope I had of reaching the doctor.
  • Despite his bulk, he jumped several fences in a last-ditch attempt to escape.
  • Horrified by his latest intentions, they were perhaps genuinely considering a last-ditch attempt to save him from himself.
  • Last night, Mr Jones said he was involved in a last-ditch effort to save the unit.
  • Munich had inspired a last-ditch attempt to bring down Chamberlain and save the peace.
  • Not as a second-rate effort or a last-ditch effort.
  • So finally, in a last-ditch attempt to salvage the exercise as a whole, the following workshop activity was developed.
  • The Republican victories came despite a last-ditch effort by the president to help Democratic candidates.
► the last judgment► the last post► the last rites
  • Boy did he have the last laugh.
  • Holding a rolling pin and determined to have the last laugh.
  • Yet women drivers have the last laugh.
► to a man/to the last man
  • Marriage is the last thing on my mind right now.
  • And with so many players rushing into the market at the last minute, prices soared.
  • As expected, Rachel canceled at the last minute.
  • At the last minute a sense of something unsaid made her hurry after him.
  • At the last minute the parent would abandon its charade and fly off to safety.
  • At the last minute, McCain was relegated to the Oval Office.
  • Not all were satisfied that the last minute restrictions were necessary.
  • Work is still going on in fitting out a new store right up to the last minute.
  • At the last moment he saw an apple lying on the dresser and put it in his pocket.
  • At the last moment, I looked up at the sky.
  • But at the last moment courage failed them.
  • I took the can carefully away at the last moment.
  • I was hoping to hit him, but he dove clear at the last moment.
  • In Madrid Casado triumphed and at the last moment Communist power was broken.
  • We keep getting ready to go to oh all sorts of places - but at the last moment something always comes up.
  • Stewart was assured of the championship in the next to last race of the year.
  • Lock the doors and turn off the lights last thing at night.
  • The soldiers are supposed to polish their shoes last thing at night.
  • Empty ashtrays last thing at night, and don't smoke in bed.
  • It's the first thing I look at when I wake up, the last thing at night.
  • It was after dark; the last thing at night.
  • Of course, only in moderate quantities, and generally to be taken last thing at night.
  • The only times my father could be found in his room were first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
  • The rosary last thing at night.
  • This can be carried out last thing at night, once the puppy has been outside to relieve itself.
  • Why not set a few moments aside first thing in the morning and last thing at night?
  • It had taken every ounce of courage she possessed to board the aircraft after her last experience.
  • They took everything she had, down to the last penny.
  • Great power status was in the last resort the ability to wage war.
  • In buildings of more than two storeys, wait for the fire brigade, and jump only as a last resort.
  • Lithium was to be a last resort, and it looked as if she needed some in October.
  • Only in the last resort, under careful international policing and after all other attempts at persuasion have been exhausted.
  • That was a last resort, they said.
  • The guidance emphasises that restraint should be used as a last resort within a caring and disciplined home environment.
  • They also want to use public community service jobs as a last resort, something Wilson strongly opposes.
  • Who is the lender of last resort stopping financial panics and capital outflows from bringing the system down?
  • At the graveside, a volley of shots ... before a Hercules flew overhead to pay its last respects.
  • Many thousands paid their last respects to Dubcek at his funeral in Bratislava on Nov. 15.
  • The Krays, Richardsons, and many more villains had come to pay their last respects.
  • This was quite a normal thing at that time and neighbours would call to pay their last respects.
  • Both were given last rites before being taken into the operating room.
  • But they can not perform Catholic sacramental duties, such as hearing confession, offering Communion or giving last rites.
  • It might as well have been the last rites.
  • So he did what he has become accustomed to doing - gave the last rites.
  • The Steelers were one Hail Mary away from last rites.
  • They will have nothing to do with Catholic baptisms, marriages, or last rites.
  • When a priest arrived to administer the last rites, Mansell sent him away.
  • Your marriage has got off to an unfortunate start but it doesn't warrant the last rites just yet.
  • I hope we've seen the last of Tina Hughes' stupid boyfriend!
  • All she did know was that she hadn't seen the last of him by a long chalk!
  • At the end of the ceremony, they would see the last of the candidates step into the silvery baptismal pool.
  • But still the house of Eli has not seen the last of it.
  • Hadn't she thought she'd seen the last of Rourke Deveraugh?
  • History is full of such isms, and we have hardly seen the last of them.
  • It was a relief to see the last of them.
  • We haven't seen the last of Bonnie.
  • We may not have seen the last of this controversy.
  • Making me work late on a Friday was the last straw!
  • Suzy lying to me about the money was the last straw.
  • And they felt that the pressures of her work had been the last straw.
  • For some reason that Jinny did not quite understand, it was the last straw.
  • For some, the effort to silence Zundel was the last straw.
  • His electoral thefts were the last straw.
  • Mr Brown said the planned charges were the last straw for customers already angry over banks' high-handed attitude.
  • My getting this malignancy is the last straw, in her opinion.
  • Recruitment of 40 top staff was the last straw.
  • Sending in bailiffs was the last straw.
  • I like going to bed with her when going to bed with me is the last thing she wants.
  • To be slipshod is to be hounded, which is the last thing he wants.
  • With household costs inevitably rising, the last thing he wants is a larger mortgage than he can reasonably afford.
  • It was the last thing he ever saw.
  • Nobody can get to that last thing.
  • Right now the last thing she wanted was to have them say it to her.
  • The last thing Ardamal heard as he raced down the corridor was the tinkle of metal parts hitting the floor.
  • The last thing I will be is a high-wire walker.
  • This is the last thing President Mikhail Gorbachev needs, as he tries to contain a staggering economic crisis.
  • When you have a chance to shoot 59, the last thing you want to do is leave it short.
  • With household costs inevitably rising, the last thing he wants is a larger mortgage than he can reasonably afford.
  • The final word rests with the board.
  • But the final word must be reserved for the destructive, disruptive role played by George Bush's administration.
  • But the project belonged ultimately to the pupils and they should have the last words.
  • By no means has the last word been written on the quantum Hall effect.
  • Dana was opinionated and liked to have the last word in an argument.
  • He had learned to let Leah have the last word.
  • Intimacy is probably the last word anyone would use in connection with the Coliseum.
  • Let that be the last word.
  • So they do; but that is not the last word, only the first.
1most recently before now → next:  When I last saw her, she was working in New York.GRAMMARChoosing the right tenseLast is used with the simple past: · I last saw her in 2008. ✗Don’t say: I have last seen her in 2008.Word order• Last usually comes before a main verb: · I last went to London in June.• Last comes after ‘be’ when it is the main verb: · I was last in London in June.• Last comes after the first auxiliary: · When did you last hear from Tara?2after everything or everyone else OPP  first:  Who is speaking last? Add the flour last.last of all (=used when giving a final point or piece of information) Last of all, I’d like to thank everyone for coming.3last but not least used when mentioning the last person or thing in a list, to emphasize that they are still important:  Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new secretary.
last1 determiner, adjectivelast2 adverblast3 noun, pronounlast4 verblast5 noun
lastlast3 ●●● S1 W1 noun, pronoun Examples
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
  • At a press conference, Wiltshire Police revealed that Mrs Campbell had last been seen alive a week ago.
  • But I figured the jeans wouldn't last long.
  • Each one was hurrying to avoid being last.
  • It's good to see their interests being looked after at long last.
  • It was last to start and at this rate, will probably be last to finish.
  • Mr Evan's rages were noisy while they lasted but they didn't last long.
  • Only the leaders were mounted, and even that would not last long, although there were horse-boys behind with replacements.
  • She had been last noticed at the wheel of the car when the Josephs arrived there.
Thesaurus
Longman Language Activatorcoming at the end after all others
happening or coming at the end, with no others after: · What time does the last train leave?· Could you repeat the last number for me please?· I really struggled on that last question.· Don't miss the last episode tonight at 8.00 p.m.· I may as well eat that last little piece.very last (=use this to emphasize that something is last): · The very last train leaves at 1.00 a.m.the last time: · That was the last time I ever saw her. (=I never saw her again)last chance: · Today is your last chance to visit the fashion show, which ends this evening.the last: · That lecture was the last in the series.
last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc: · Are you going to watch the final episode of 'The X-Files' tomorrow night?· He got as far as the final interviews, but he didn't get the job unfortunately.· I'd like to make one final point before we move on to another subject.final stages/moments/minutes (=at or near the end of a period or process): · The president appears tired but hopeful as the final stages of the negotiations begin today.· Whitney made both free throws in the final minute of the game.final game/round/match etc: · A victory over Fresno State in the final game Saturday would produce a record run of wins.· The two men were tied for the lead going into today's final round of the Dunlop Phoenix golf tournament.
the closing part of an event or period of time is the last part of it - use this especially when something important or exciting happens: the closing stages/chapter/sentence etc: · Marcos is expected to address the closing session of the conference later Monday.· The rider from the Netherlands is still in the lead as the Tour de France enters its closing stage today.· The closing scene of 'Casablanca' is one of the great moments of film history.closing seconds/minutes/years etc: · Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing seconds of the game.· the closing years of the 20th centuryclosing argument (=the final speech made by a lawyer in a court): · After the defense finishes its closing argument, the prosecution will have the opportunity to reply.
the concluding part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event is the last part of it, which finishes it in the way that was planned: concluding stages/chapter/remarks etc: · We will return to these points in the concluding chapter.· In his concluding remarks, Santos drew attention to the issues facing developing countries. · The Appeal court will, at the concluding stage, test its own opinions against those of the judges in the original hearing.
formal the second of two things or people that are being compared with each other: · Opportunities for men and women, though especially the latter, are limited to employment in agriculture or domestic service.· There were two candidates for the presidency, Lyndon B Johnson and Senator Barry Goldwater. The latter was known to hold extreme right-wing views.
to be the last one in a line, group, race etc
· There's no point in trying, because I know I'm going to be last.· We were last in a very long queue, so I knew we'd have a long wait.be (the) last to do something · Sally was last to arrive.· His plane was always the first to take off, and the last to land.be last in line (=be the last person to have something, especially when this seems unfair) · I was the youngest in a family of four, so I was always last in line for clothes and toys.· Let's just say I don't want to be last in line for promotion.
also come last British to finish a race or competition in the last position: · Our school always comes in last in the regional competition.· Bakatin came last with just 3.4% of the vote.· Despite finishing last of six, he was only beaten by two lengths.
to be last in a line or group of people, cars, ships etc that is moving forward: · We all followed our guide up the path, Marcus and I bringing up the rear.· The funeral hearse was followed by cars full of friends, and a company of Life Guards brought up the rear.
a person who is too slow to keep the same speed as the rest of the group they are with, so that they move along some distance behind: · A few stragglers got lost in the fog.· After three and a half hours, the stragglers were still coming through.
the one just before the last one
coming just before the last one in a series, list, line etc: · I've nearly finished this test. I'm on the next to last question.· "How much have you read?" "I'm on the second to last chapter."· It wasn't until the next to last day of the vacation that she dared to go to the beach.
British the one just before the last one: · She had several husbands. Garry Burton, the last but one, was a real alcoholic.· He and his family escaped on the last but one ship to leave Hamburg.· There's a long row of houses and I live in the last but one.
especially British, formal coming just before the last one: · We booked a moped for the penultimate day of the holiday.· Particularly impressive is the horn section on the penultimate track, 'Just Jivin' Around'.penultimate stage/step: · These trials are actually the penultimate step toward choosing the Olympic team for this summer's games.penultimate game/round/lap etc: · Eric scored a timely win in the penultimate round of the Formula 1 championship.· His horse slipped and fell at the penultimate fence.
what you say to introduce the last thing in a speech etc
use this when something is the last thing you want to say, especially at the end of a long speech or piece of writing: · Finally, I'd like to thank all those people who helped make the conference such a success.· And finally, don't miss Albuquerque's amazing punk band, playing tonight at the Lunar Club.
use this to say that something is the last of a list of things, or when something is the last thing you want to say: · Now lastly, before you all leave, I want to mention some tips for the interview stage.· And lastly, Delia, do you see the movement towards more and more computerization continuing in the future?· Firstly it's too big, secondly we can't afford it, and lastly we don't really need it.
use this when you are mentioning the last person or thing in a list, to emphasize that they are just as important as all the others: · Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new accountant.· And last but not least, I thank Begona Canup for her interest in the book.last but certainly not/by no means least: · Social Security has reduced poverty, and last, but by no means least, it has been a good deal for participants.
to continue for a particular period of time
use this to say how long something continues: · Mexico achieved a remarkable 8% annual growth rate, but the new prosperity did not last.· Ours was a happy marriage, but I always feared it wouldn't last.last 2 hours/6 months/a long time etc: · The whole opera lasts about four hours.· The earthquake lasted 30 seconds and caused 12,000 casualties.· The silence in the room seemed to last a very long time before she spoke.· rainstorms lasting all night long· Each consultation can last between 10 minutes and half an hour.last for 2 hours/a long time/years etc: · The performance is expected to last for approximately 3 hours.· The effects of Josie's experience could last for years, doctors say.last from/until etc: · The talks lasted until the early hours of the morning.· The drug produces a powerful cocaine-type high that lasts for days.· The Sung dynasty lasted from 960 to 1278.last into the 19th century/1980s/next decade etc: · This phase of the educational campaign lasted into the 1960s.last long: · Analysts are confident the downturn in share prices will not last long.· It's the worst cold I've ever had, but luckily it didn't last very long.last forever: · I wanted the weekend to last forever.last as long as: · The pilots say the walkout could last as long as two months.
use this when you want to say how much time is needed to do something or for something to happen: take 2 hours/6 months etc: · The bridge was closed, so the journey took much longer than usual.· Can you give me an idea how long this is going to take?· It took two years for Eddie to learn how to walk again.take 2 hours/6 months etc to do: · The software will take a few minutes to load.· They're just fun books, they don't take very long to read.take somebody 2 hours/6 months etc to do: · Doing the painting alone will take him all day.it takes (somebody) 2 hours/six months etc to do something: · It takes me about half an hour to get ready in the mornings.· It didn't take Susie long to find out what was going on between us.· It took three and a half hours to come back from Swansea.
if something, especially something boring or unpleasant, goes on for a particular period of time, that is how long it lasts: · The chairman's speech went on for what seemed like hours.· It sounds like the sort of meeting that could go on forever.· It starts at seven, but I don't know how long it goes on for.· It was a big lawsuit, and it went on for quite a while.
use this about something that seems to continue for a long time: · The siege dragged on into its second month.drag on for: · I can't afford to let the case drag on for months.
if a play, show, event etc runs for a particular period of time, it continues to be shown or performed for that period of time: · The Ideal Homes exhibition will run until 6 p.m. each day over the weekend.run for: · The play ran for two months on Broadway.· The media campaign features four commercials that will run for eight weeks.· One of the top sit-coms was 'On the Buses', which ran for sixty episodesrun and run British (=used in newspapers, magazines etc to say that a play, show etc will be very successful and will be performed for a long time): · This is one that will, I believe, run and run.
if a process, activity, event etc extends over a long period of time, it continues for that period of time: · We had a marathon recording session extending over eighteen hours.· If the investigation is a sustained piece of work extending over a period of weeks, a diary will help to track events.
to stay in good condition for a particular period of time
use this about clothes, equipment, furniture etc to say how long they will remain in good condition: · Cheap saucepans can't really be expected to last.· It's amazing how long this car has lasted, really.· You can get washable plastic lace by the yard, which lasts much better than the real thing.last (for) 7 years/2 months/a long time etc: · Some wine-makers will tell you that a cask lasts only for four years.· When the houses were put up in 1946, they really weren't meant to last more than ten years.last (somebody) a lifetime (=last a very long time): · With care, a mahogany dining table will last you a lifetime.· Well-made golf clubs ought to last a lifetime, so it's worth paying the extra.
use this about food or drink to say how long it will remain fresh: · You'd better eat these cakes today -- they won't keep.keep for 2 days/24 hours etc: · The yoghurt will keep for about a week in a refrigerator.keep until/till: · Do you think this bacon will keep till tomorrow?keep well: · Eat celery as soon as possible -- it does not keep well for long periods.
use this about food or about flowers that have been cut: · Homemade bread never stays as fresh as the stuff you buy in the supermarket.stay fresh for 2 weeks/2 days/a long time etc: · Strain the stock and put in a sealed container. It should stay fresh for up to three days.· Bend the stems, as this will make the blooms stay fresh for longer.
when a supply of something continues to be enough
if a supply of something lasts for a particular period of time, there continues to be enough of it for someone to use until the end of that period: last (somebody) two weeks/three days etc: · He knew they only had enough food to last another three days.· $400 won't last you long in Chicago.
to use a supply of something carefully so that it is not all used quickly: · I sent my sister $500, with some advice on how to make it last.make something last longer/a long time etc: · You can add ice or additional mixer to alcoholic drinks make them last longer.· One group delayed spending the grant in order to make its funds last as long as possible.· She only had a small amount of food left, and knew she'd have to make it last the week.
to make a small amount of something such as food or money last longer, by carefully using only very small amounts of it -- used especially in literature: eke out something: · Dealers are mixing the drug with heroin and cocaine to eke out their supplies.· She lived on a shoestring during these years, eking out the pennies as best she could. eke something out: · I'm not ashamed to eke food out.
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· This is the band's last appearance in the UK before a 46-date tour of Europe.
 I’m going to Cuba next April.
· They made one final attempt to make their marriage work.
(=a final attempt to achieve something before it is too late)· Negotiators are making a last-ditch attempt to save the agreement.
 I was there last August.
 These clubs are the last bastions of male privilege.
· These plans are likely to result in lasting benefit to the whole of our district.
· The boats were built in the last century.
· This is my last chance to try and pass the exam.
· The final chapter summarizes the themes in the book.
(=very fast, because you have very little time remaining)· We only just caught our plane, after a last-minute dash to the airport.
 Last December they visited Prague.
 a last desperate throw of the dice to try and win his wife back
(=continues)· The effect of the drug lasts about six hours.
(=a last effort, when you want very much to achieve something)· Sam took a deep breath and prepared herself for one final effort.
(=all of something, including even the smallest amount of it) They made us pick up every last scrap of paper.
(=being famous for a long time)· Diderot gained lasting fame as the editor of the French Encyclopaedia.
 Mum died last February.
 The office has been closed for the last few days.
 The first and last mountain I climbed was Mount Rundle (=it was the only mountain I ever climbed).
 I wanted that moment to last forever.
 I had a terrible time last Friday.
· This began a lasting friendship between the two women.
· A last-minute goal condemned Fulham to a 0–1 home defeat.
· He struggled with ill health in the latter half of his life.
(=happiness that continues)· Leonie had found a lasting happiness in her relationship with Jim.
· The injury caused him discomfort but no lasting harm.
 He was last heard of in Washington (=he was in Washington the last time someone had information about him).
 In spite of some technical hitches, the first program was a success.
· The meeting lasted almost two hours.
(=one that lasts for a long time)· The arrival of the railways made a lasting impact on many sectors of the economy.
(=one that someone remembers for a long time)· Sam’s performance had clearly made a lasting impression on the audience.
(=continuing for a long time)· His travels in Africa had a lasting influence on his work.
 I haven’t heard from him since last January.
 Laura came over to England last July.
 I finished school last June.
 The last lap of their journey was by ship.
 If you leave your preparation until the last minute, you’ll reduce your chances of passing. I left the best bit until last.
· Your name will be first on my list.· Why am I always last on the list?
 She started work here last March.
 She started work here last May.
 An appeal has been launched to build a lasting memorial to the composer.
(=that you will always have)· The children's abiding memory of their father is of his patience and gentleness.
 Kelly arrived last Monday.
· The new restaurant opened last month.
· It rained last night.
 He started work here last November.
 We moved in last October.
 ‘When did you email her?’ ‘Only yesterday.’
· We had reached the last part of our journey.
· He has the chance to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians.
 She’s down to her last penny.
· There is one final point I would like to make.
(=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day)· The last post is at 5.30.
(also finish first/last etc in a race)· She came third in the race.
(=the place where someone is buried)
 A priest came to give him the last rites.
 I knew there would be a last-minute rush to meet the deadline.
 I saw Sally last Saturday at the mall.
 I haven’t heard from him since last September.
· He visited Brittany last summer.
 It was our wedding anniversary last Sunday.
· On the last day of term we went home early.
 He was arrested last Thursday.
 It was my birthday last Tuesday.
(=that will be important or useful for a long time)· He wanted to achieve something of lasting value.
 The new law removed the last vestiges of royal power.
 They left last Wednesday.
· Last week, my washing machine broke down.
· We were in Glasgow last weekend.
formal (=someone's will)
· Her last wish was to be buried in her husband’s grave.
· Last year we spent a lot on the house.
· He changed his opinion during the last years of his life.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► somebody hasn’t heard the last of somebody/something► somebody will never hear the last of something
  • I had a feeling it would be the last I heard of him.
  • She came and collected the keys, and that was the last I heard from her.
  • Brown died in 1987, insisting to the last he was innocent.
  • Everything was planned and stage-managed to the last detail.
  • He groped his way back to the last junction and limped in the other direction.
  • It would be completely furnished, down to the last teaspoon.
  • On the other were tenants clinging desperately to the last vestige of their community.
  • Please don't leave them to the last minute.
  • Pro: Outlines can cut your writing time by helping you organize your thoughts to the last detail.
  • She tells Mitchum that they belong to each other, and he, fatalistic to the last, appears to go along.
  • The lumbering Swordfish, caught from above, were shot down to the last plane in one swift attack.
  • I was the last to go to bed that night.
  • Joel was the last of nine kids.
  • At last, we were able to afford a house.
  • And I, at last, had some one to talk to.
  • And then, at last, I crossed a high mountain pass to discover smoke drifting across my route.
  • But his work lives on, and after decades of neglect he is rediscovered, celebrated anew and recognized at last.
  • Lendl's 7-6 6-2 defeat by Omar Camporese follows his opening match loss at last week's Madrid Open.
  • Now, at last, they are coming home.
  • Well, at last I got my chance.
  • I didn't know myself where the house was until the week before last.
  • In the week before last, claims rose by 22, 000.
  • The Sunday newspaper articles had come out the week before last, and were still bringing in letters.
  • Dennis ate the last of the bread at lunchtime.
  • The last of the tickets were sold Thursday.
  • The judge sentenced the last of the three defendants in the case to 10 years.
  • This is the last of the paint, and I don't think it's going to be enough.
  • Before she swallowed the last of the drink she had promised to ask Wickham for the facts.
  • By the end of October the last of the pumpkins is sold, and almost no one comes to the produce stand.
  • Riven threw back the last of his beer.
  • The Carrier rolled forward, without slowing, its massive tyres crushing the last of the barricade.
  • The first two and the last of these are socially dissonant and their practice is illegal.
  • This is the last of four meetings with the Spurs, who won two of the first three.
  • To unearth the last of the bodies may take a fortnight.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
  • In the final analysis Stalin was just as much a dictator as Hitler.
  • In the final analysis, the project was a failure.
  • The responsibility for the accident must, in the last analysis, rest with the captain.
  • And, in the final analysis, are they any good?
  • But in the final analysis it had been he who wanted out.
  • But in the final analysis, these are just details.
  • It should also comfort to recognize that, in the final analysis, these sums are operating to purify decision-making.
  • That, in the final analysis, is what organizational control is all about.
  • The pressures driving research evaluation are, in the final analysis, political.
  • The shift of leadership to John Smith may seem temporarily convincing, but it is in the last analysis cosmetic.
  • The Trotskyist movement could benefit only in the final analysis and in the long range.
  • With his last breath, he told me he would always love me.
  • Five hours more and she'd breathe her last and never know them.
  • In the blue light of the morning he breathed his last.
  • Large-scale, publicly-owned enterprises will breathe their last gasp and wither away well before the state which spawned them.
  • Millions who were dangerously ill or breathing their last.
  • The moment Carey was confident that Elizabeth had breathed her last he was in the saddle, racing for the Border.
  • When it looked as though he was breathing his last, Beria's face shone with delight.
► the last but one/the next but two etc
  • At the last count, only 18 Japanese firms were making car parts in America.
  • There are a lot of professional athletes living in the Orlando area -- more than 100 at last count.
  • Apart from Summerchild and a clerical assistant, the Unit at the last count still consisted of one single member, Serafin herself.
  • I have, at the last count, 19 separate applications under consideration by 12 separate funding bodies.
  • It has now become a challenge to find new varieties of herb - at the last count there were just over 130.
  • More than 200, in fact, at the last count.
  • My sister Mahaud, at the last count, had more admirers than there are Elks.
  • The total world population was put at 190 at the last count.
  • They have been joined by a growing group of people denied entry, 198 at the last count.
  • Yet at the last count there were six oil-rich states bordering the Gulf.
► be down to your last pound/dollar/litre etc
  • So he said, with those famous last words, "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
  • And a system whose first and last resort was all too often expediency.
  • At Banff I climbed my first and last mountain - Mount Rundle.
  • For the first and last time in her life, Amelia was too preoccupied to interact with her peers.
  • I sat back and treated myself to a cigarette, determined to make it the first and last of the day.
  • Instead of pressing the spacebar anywhere between the first and last characters of the text, press the Home spacebar.
  • It was the first and last time that management capitulated in the face of a departing mortgage trader.
  • She wrote that she was dying of a fever, and asked him to visit her for the first and last time.
  • These records included the first and last dates of all absences and the reason for absence.
  • This cold spell appears to be winter's last gasp for the year.
  • But it also was the last gasp for a team on the slide.
  • Large-scale, publicly-owned enterprises will breathe their last gasp and wither away well before the state which spawned them.
  • Sometimes even negative change is interpreted as merely the last gasp of the resistant old order.
  • That is the way to add people on their last gasp to the repossessed list, not reduce it.
  • This is the last gasp of the Romantic revolution that Beethoven instigated.
  • Whether it is a rebirth or a last gasp remains to be seen.
► too good to be true/to last► not hear the last of somebody
  • Advocates just seem to take it on faith that annexation is the only hope of salvation for this city.
  • But mad or not, you are my only hope, Meg.
  • But Thomas Sachs was now her only hope.
  • I expected to be disappointed, though the letter was now my only hope.
  • In the long term, Mr Heseltine said that privatisation was the only hope for the industry.
  • Is he only hoping to make money?
  • Robert Urquhart was her only hope, her only ally.
  • That was the only hope I had of reaching the doctor.
  • Despite his bulk, he jumped several fences in a last-ditch attempt to escape.
  • Horrified by his latest intentions, they were perhaps genuinely considering a last-ditch attempt to save him from himself.
  • Last night, Mr Jones said he was involved in a last-ditch effort to save the unit.
  • Munich had inspired a last-ditch attempt to bring down Chamberlain and save the peace.
  • Not as a second-rate effort or a last-ditch effort.
  • So finally, in a last-ditch attempt to salvage the exercise as a whole, the following workshop activity was developed.
  • The Republican victories came despite a last-ditch effort by the president to help Democratic candidates.
► the last judgment► the last post► the last rites
  • Boy did he have the last laugh.
  • Holding a rolling pin and determined to have the last laugh.
  • Yet women drivers have the last laugh.
► to a man/to the last man
  • Marriage is the last thing on my mind right now.
  • And with so many players rushing into the market at the last minute, prices soared.
  • As expected, Rachel canceled at the last minute.
  • At the last minute a sense of something unsaid made her hurry after him.
  • At the last minute the parent would abandon its charade and fly off to safety.
  • At the last minute, McCain was relegated to the Oval Office.
  • Not all were satisfied that the last minute restrictions were necessary.
  • Work is still going on in fitting out a new store right up to the last minute.
  • At the last moment he saw an apple lying on the dresser and put it in his pocket.
  • At the last moment, I looked up at the sky.
  • But at the last moment courage failed them.
  • I took the can carefully away at the last moment.
  • I was hoping to hit him, but he dove clear at the last moment.
  • In Madrid Casado triumphed and at the last moment Communist power was broken.
  • We keep getting ready to go to oh all sorts of places - but at the last moment something always comes up.
  • Stewart was assured of the championship in the next to last race of the year.
  • Lock the doors and turn off the lights last thing at night.
  • The soldiers are supposed to polish their shoes last thing at night.
  • Empty ashtrays last thing at night, and don't smoke in bed.
  • It's the first thing I look at when I wake up, the last thing at night.
  • It was after dark; the last thing at night.
  • Of course, only in moderate quantities, and generally to be taken last thing at night.
  • The only times my father could be found in his room were first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
  • The rosary last thing at night.
  • This can be carried out last thing at night, once the puppy has been outside to relieve itself.
  • Why not set a few moments aside first thing in the morning and last thing at night?
  • It had taken every ounce of courage she possessed to board the aircraft after her last experience.
  • They took everything she had, down to the last penny.
  • Great power status was in the last resort the ability to wage war.
  • In buildings of more than two storeys, wait for the fire brigade, and jump only as a last resort.
  • Lithium was to be a last resort, and it looked as if she needed some in October.
  • Only in the last resort, under careful international policing and after all other attempts at persuasion have been exhausted.
  • That was a last resort, they said.
  • The guidance emphasises that restraint should be used as a last resort within a caring and disciplined home environment.
  • They also want to use public community service jobs as a last resort, something Wilson strongly opposes.
  • Who is the lender of last resort stopping financial panics and capital outflows from bringing the system down?
  • At the graveside, a volley of shots ... before a Hercules flew overhead to pay its last respects.
  • Many thousands paid their last respects to Dubcek at his funeral in Bratislava on Nov. 15.
  • The Krays, Richardsons, and many more villains had come to pay their last respects.
  • This was quite a normal thing at that time and neighbours would call to pay their last respects.
  • Both were given last rites before being taken into the operating room.
  • But they can not perform Catholic sacramental duties, such as hearing confession, offering Communion or giving last rites.
  • It might as well have been the last rites.
  • So he did what he has become accustomed to doing - gave the last rites.
  • The Steelers were one Hail Mary away from last rites.
  • They will have nothing to do with Catholic baptisms, marriages, or last rites.
  • When a priest arrived to administer the last rites, Mansell sent him away.
  • Your marriage has got off to an unfortunate start but it doesn't warrant the last rites just yet.
  • I hope we've seen the last of Tina Hughes' stupid boyfriend!
  • All she did know was that she hadn't seen the last of him by a long chalk!
  • At the end of the ceremony, they would see the last of the candidates step into the silvery baptismal pool.
  • But still the house of Eli has not seen the last of it.
  • Hadn't she thought she'd seen the last of Rourke Deveraugh?
  • History is full of such isms, and we have hardly seen the last of them.
  • It was a relief to see the last of them.
  • We haven't seen the last of Bonnie.
  • We may not have seen the last of this controversy.
  • Making me work late on a Friday was the last straw!
  • Suzy lying to me about the money was the last straw.
  • And they felt that the pressures of her work had been the last straw.
  • For some reason that Jinny did not quite understand, it was the last straw.
  • For some, the effort to silence Zundel was the last straw.
  • His electoral thefts were the last straw.
  • Mr Brown said the planned charges were the last straw for customers already angry over banks' high-handed attitude.
  • My getting this malignancy is the last straw, in her opinion.
  • Recruitment of 40 top staff was the last straw.
  • Sending in bailiffs was the last straw.
  • I like going to bed with her when going to bed with me is the last thing she wants.
  • To be slipshod is to be hounded, which is the last thing he wants.
  • With household costs inevitably rising, the last thing he wants is a larger mortgage than he can reasonably afford.
  • It was the last thing he ever saw.
  • Nobody can get to that last thing.
  • Right now the last thing she wanted was to have them say it to her.
  • The last thing Ardamal heard as he raced down the corridor was the tinkle of metal parts hitting the floor.
  • The last thing I will be is a high-wire walker.
  • This is the last thing President Mikhail Gorbachev needs, as he tries to contain a staggering economic crisis.
  • When you have a chance to shoot 59, the last thing you want to do is leave it short.
  • With household costs inevitably rising, the last thing he wants is a larger mortgage than he can reasonably afford.
  • The final word rests with the board.
  • But the final word must be reserved for the destructive, disruptive role played by George Bush's administration.
  • But the project belonged ultimately to the pupils and they should have the last words.
  • By no means has the last word been written on the quantum Hall effect.
  • Dana was opinionated and liked to have the last word in an argument.
  • He had learned to let Leah have the last word.
  • Intimacy is probably the last word anyone would use in connection with the Coliseum.
  • Let that be the last word.
  • So they do; but that is not the last word, only the first.
1the last the person or thing that comes after all the others OPP  first:  I think this box is the last.the last to do something He was the first to arrive and the last to leave.2at (long) last if something happens at last, it happens after you have been hoping, waiting, or working for it a long time:  At last it was time to leave. We reached the summit at last.3the day/week/year etc before last the day, week etc before the one that has just finished:  I sent the letter off the week before last.4the last of something the remaining parts of something:  John ate the last of the bread at lunchtime.5somebody hasn’t heard the last of somebody/something if you have not heard the last of someone or something, they may return and cause problems for you in the future:  We haven’t heard the last of football violence.6somebody will never hear the last of something if you will never hear the last of something, someone will be angry with you about it for a long time:  If my mother sees me, I’ll never hear the last of this.7the last I heard spoken used to tell someone the most recent news that you know about a person or situation:  The last I heard, she was at college studying law.8to the last formal until the end of an event or the end of someone’s life:  He died in 1987, insisting to the last he was innocent.
last1 determiner, adjectivelast2 adverblast3 noun, pronounlast4 verblast5 noun
lastlast4 ●●● S1 W2 verb Word Origin
WORD ORIGINlast4
Origin:
Old English læstan ‘to last, follow’
Verb Table
VERB TABLE
last
Simple Form
PresentI, you, we, theylast
he, she, itlasts
PastI, you, he, she, it, we, theylasted
Present perfectI, you, we, theyhave lasted
he, she, ithas lasted
Past perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theyhad lasted
FutureI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill last
Future perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill have lasted
Continuous Form
PresentIam lasting
he, she, itis lasting
you, we, theyare lasting
PastI, he, she, itwas lasting
you, we, theywere lasting
Present perfectI, you, we, theyhave been lasting
he, she, ithas been lasting
Past perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theyhad been lasting
FutureI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill be lasting
Future perfectI, you, he, she, it, we, theywill have been lasting
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
  • $400 won't last you long in Chicago.
  • A can of baby formula costing $6.00 will last you three to four days.
  • Analysts are confident the downturn in share prices will not last long.
  • Cheap saucepans can't really be expected to last.
  • Each consultation can last between 10 minutes and half an hour.
  • He knew they only had enough food to last another three days.
  • Her operation lasted around three hours.
  • His breathing was getting worse and he was not expected to last the night.
  • I still have $100, but that won't last until the end of the vacation.
  • I wanted the weekend to last forever.
  • It's amazing how long this car has lasted, really.
  • It's amazing that she's managed to last this long, really.
  • It's hard to say how much longer the astronauts will last without fresh supplies.
  • It's not certain how long the ceasefire will last.
  • It's the worst cold I've ever had, but luckily it didn't last very long.
  • Mexico achieved a remarkable 8% annual growth rate, but the new prosperity did not last.
  • Most batteries last for about 8 hours.
  • Ours was a happy marriage, but I always feared it wouldn't last.
  • rainstorms lasting all night long
  • Some wine-makers will tell you that a cask lasts only for four years.
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
  • Bedworth's trial, expected to last three weeks, continues.
  • Helpers approaching have sometimes been bitten or attacked wildly in the delirium that follows and which may last as long as twelve tormented hours.
  • Of course it would not last.
  • Phase 1 started in July 1980 and lasted 3 years, during which 2.5 million households were visited.
  • The attack usually lasts for several minutes but can go on much longer.
  • Within himself, however, it felt as though his stay had lasted three or four hours at most.
Thesaurus
THESAURUSto continue to happen
to happen without stopping: · The good weather seems likely to continue.· Unless there are serious negotiations, the fighting will continue.· Some people have lost work, and this will continue to happen until the computer system is fixed.· The review process is expected to continue for several weeks.
to continue – use this to say how long something continues for: · I know my good luck won’t last forever.· It’s not certain how long the ceasefire will last.· The trial lasted for six days.· The meeting lasted until lunchtime.· The training period lasted from July 2 to August 25.
to continue, especially for a long time: · Disputes between neighbours can go on for years.
British English to continue, especially when there are problems: · The game carried on despite the injury of two players.
to continue for much longer than necessary or for longer than you want: · The meeting dragged on for another hour.· The talks dragged on, with no apparent hope of achieving a peaceful solution.
formal if something bad persists, it continues to exist or happen: · See your doctor if the symptoms persist.· If adverse weather conditions persist, the game will be cancelled.
Longman Language Activatorcoming at the end after all others
happening or coming at the end, with no others after: · What time does the last train leave?· Could you repeat the last number for me please?· I really struggled on that last question.· Don't miss the last episode tonight at 8.00 p.m.· I may as well eat that last little piece.very last (=use this to emphasize that something is last): · The very last train leaves at 1.00 a.m.the last time: · That was the last time I ever saw her. (=I never saw her again)last chance: · Today is your last chance to visit the fashion show, which ends this evening.the last: · That lecture was the last in the series.
last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc: · Are you going to watch the final episode of 'The X-Files' tomorrow night?· He got as far as the final interviews, but he didn't get the job unfortunately.· I'd like to make one final point before we move on to another subject.final stages/moments/minutes (=at or near the end of a period or process): · The president appears tired but hopeful as the final stages of the negotiations begin today.· Whitney made both free throws in the final minute of the game.final game/round/match etc: · A victory over Fresno State in the final game Saturday would produce a record run of wins.· The two men were tied for the lead going into today's final round of the Dunlop Phoenix golf tournament.
the closing part of an event or period of time is the last part of it - use this especially when something important or exciting happens: the closing stages/chapter/sentence etc: · Marcos is expected to address the closing session of the conference later Monday.· The rider from the Netherlands is still in the lead as the Tour de France enters its closing stage today.· The closing scene of 'Casablanca' is one of the great moments of film history.closing seconds/minutes/years etc: · Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing seconds of the game.· the closing years of the 20th centuryclosing argument (=the final speech made by a lawyer in a court): · After the defense finishes its closing argument, the prosecution will have the opportunity to reply.
the concluding part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event is the last part of it, which finishes it in the way that was planned: concluding stages/chapter/remarks etc: · We will return to these points in the concluding chapter.· In his concluding remarks, Santos drew attention to the issues facing developing countries. · The Appeal court will, at the concluding stage, test its own opinions against those of the judges in the original hearing.
formal the second of two things or people that are being compared with each other: · Opportunities for men and women, though especially the latter, are limited to employment in agriculture or domestic service.· There were two candidates for the presidency, Lyndon B Johnson and Senator Barry Goldwater. The latter was known to hold extreme right-wing views.
to be the last one in a line, group, race etc
· There's no point in trying, because I know I'm going to be last.· We were last in a very long queue, so I knew we'd have a long wait.be (the) last to do something · Sally was last to arrive.· His plane was always the first to take off, and the last to land.be last in line (=be the last person to have something, especially when this seems unfair) · I was the youngest in a family of four, so I was always last in line for clothes and toys.· Let's just say I don't want to be last in line for promotion.
also come last British to finish a race or competition in the last position: · Our school always comes in last in the regional competition.· Bakatin came last with just 3.4% of the vote.· Despite finishing last of six, he was only beaten by two lengths.
to be last in a line or group of people, cars, ships etc that is moving forward: · We all followed our guide up the path, Marcus and I bringing up the rear.· The funeral hearse was followed by cars full of friends, and a company of Life Guards brought up the rear.
a person who is too slow to keep the same speed as the rest of the group they are with, so that they move along some distance behind: · A few stragglers got lost in the fog.· After three and a half hours, the stragglers were still coming through.
the one just before the last one
coming just before the last one in a series, list, line etc: · I've nearly finished this test. I'm on the next to last question.· "How much have you read?" "I'm on the second to last chapter."· It wasn't until the next to last day of the vacation that she dared to go to the beach.
British the one just before the last one: · She had several husbands. Garry Burton, the last but one, was a real alcoholic.· He and his family escaped on the last but one ship to leave Hamburg.· There's a long row of houses and I live in the last but one.
especially British, formal coming just before the last one: · We booked a moped for the penultimate day of the holiday.· Particularly impressive is the horn section on the penultimate track, 'Just Jivin' Around'.penultimate stage/step: · These trials are actually the penultimate step toward choosing the Olympic team for this summer's games.penultimate game/round/lap etc: · Eric scored a timely win in the penultimate round of the Formula 1 championship.· His horse slipped and fell at the penultimate fence.
what you say to introduce the last thing in a speech etc
use this when something is the last thing you want to say, especially at the end of a long speech or piece of writing: · Finally, I'd like to thank all those people who helped make the conference such a success.· And finally, don't miss Albuquerque's amazing punk band, playing tonight at the Lunar Club.
use this to say that something is the last of a list of things, or when something is the last thing you want to say: · Now lastly, before you all leave, I want to mention some tips for the interview stage.· And lastly, Delia, do you see the movement towards more and more computerization continuing in the future?· Firstly it's too big, secondly we can't afford it, and lastly we don't really need it.
use this when you are mentioning the last person or thing in a list, to emphasize that they are just as important as all the others: · Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new accountant.· And last but not least, I thank Begona Canup for her interest in the book.last but certainly not/by no means least: · Social Security has reduced poverty, and last, but by no means least, it has been a good deal for participants.
to continue for a particular period of time
use this to say how long something continues: · Mexico achieved a remarkable 8% annual growth rate, but the new prosperity did not last.· Ours was a happy marriage, but I always feared it wouldn't last.last 2 hours/6 months/a long time etc: · The whole opera lasts about four hours.· The earthquake lasted 30 seconds and caused 12,000 casualties.· The silence in the room seemed to last a very long time before she spoke.· rainstorms lasting all night long· Each consultation can last between 10 minutes and half an hour.last for 2 hours/a long time/years etc: · The performance is expected to last for approximately 3 hours.· The effects of Josie's experience could last for years, doctors say.last from/until etc: · The talks lasted until the early hours of the morning.· The drug produces a powerful cocaine-type high that lasts for days.· The Sung dynasty lasted from 960 to 1278.last into the 19th century/1980s/next decade etc: · This phase of the educational campaign lasted into the 1960s.last long: · Analysts are confident the downturn in share prices will not last long.· It's the worst cold I've ever had, but luckily it didn't last very long.last forever: · I wanted the weekend to last forever.last as long as: · The pilots say the walkout could last as long as two months.
use this when you want to say how much time is needed to do something or for something to happen: take 2 hours/6 months etc: · The bridge was closed, so the journey took much longer than usual.· Can you give me an idea how long this is going to take?· It took two years for Eddie to learn how to walk again.take 2 hours/6 months etc to do: · The software will take a few minutes to load.· They're just fun books, they don't take very long to read.take somebody 2 hours/6 months etc to do: · Doing the painting alone will take him all day.it takes (somebody) 2 hours/six months etc to do something: · It takes me about half an hour to get ready in the mornings.· It didn't take Susie long to find out what was going on between us.· It took three and a half hours to come back from Swansea.
if something, especially something boring or unpleasant, goes on for a particular period of time, that is how long it lasts: · The chairman's speech went on for what seemed like hours.· It sounds like the sort of meeting that could go on forever.· It starts at seven, but I don't know how long it goes on for.· It was a big lawsuit, and it went on for quite a while.
use this about something that seems to continue for a long time: · The siege dragged on into its second month.drag on for: · I can't afford to let the case drag on for months.
if a play, show, event etc runs for a particular period of time, it continues to be shown or performed for that period of time: · The Ideal Homes exhibition will run until 6 p.m. each day over the weekend.run for: · The play ran for two months on Broadway.· The media campaign features four commercials that will run for eight weeks.· One of the top sit-coms was 'On the Buses', which ran for sixty episodesrun and run British (=used in newspapers, magazines etc to say that a play, show etc will be very successful and will be performed for a long time): · This is one that will, I believe, run and run.
if a process, activity, event etc extends over a long period of time, it continues for that period of time: · We had a marathon recording session extending over eighteen hours.· If the investigation is a sustained piece of work extending over a period of weeks, a diary will help to track events.
to stay in good condition for a particular period of time
use this about clothes, equipment, furniture etc to say how long they will remain in good condition: · Cheap saucepans can't really be expected to last.· It's amazing how long this car has lasted, really.· You can get washable plastic lace by the yard, which lasts much better than the real thing.last (for) 7 years/2 months/a long time etc: · Some wine-makers will tell you that a cask lasts only for four years.· When the houses were put up in 1946, they really weren't meant to last more than ten years.last (somebody) a lifetime (=last a very long time): · With care, a mahogany dining table will last you a lifetime.· Well-made golf clubs ought to last a lifetime, so it's worth paying the extra.
use this about food or drink to say how long it will remain fresh: · You'd better eat these cakes today -- they won't keep.keep for 2 days/24 hours etc: · The yoghurt will keep for about a week in a refrigerator.keep until/till: · Do you think this bacon will keep till tomorrow?keep well: · Eat celery as soon as possible -- it does not keep well for long periods.
use this about food or about flowers that have been cut: · Homemade bread never stays as fresh as the stuff you buy in the supermarket.stay fresh for 2 weeks/2 days/a long time etc: · Strain the stock and put in a sealed container. It should stay fresh for up to three days.· Bend the stems, as this will make the blooms stay fresh for longer.
when a supply of something continues to be enough
if a supply of something lasts for a particular period of time, there continues to be enough of it for someone to use until the end of that period: last (somebody) two weeks/three days etc: · He knew they only had enough food to last another three days.· $400 won't last you long in Chicago.
to use a supply of something carefully so that it is not all used quickly: · I sent my sister $500, with some advice on how to make it last.make something last longer/a long time etc: · You can add ice or additional mixer to alcoholic drinks make them last longer.· One group delayed spending the grant in order to make its funds last as long as possible.· She only had a small amount of food left, and knew she'd have to make it last the week.
to make a small amount of something such as food or money last longer, by carefully using only very small amounts of it -- used especially in literature: eke out something: · Dealers are mixing the drug with heroin and cocaine to eke out their supplies.· She lived on a shoestring during these years, eking out the pennies as best she could. eke something out: · I'm not ashamed to eke food out.
when something continues to happen
to happen without stopping: · The good weather seems likely to continue.· Unless there are serious negotiations, the fighting will continue.· Some people have lost work, and this will continue to happen until the computer system is fixed.continue for three months/a long time/several weeks etc: · The review process is expected to continue for several weeks.
to continue - use this to say how long something continues for: last two hours/six months/a long time etc: · The concert lasted all day.· It's not certain how long the ceasefire will last.last for two hours/six months/a long time etc: · The discussion lasted for no more than thirty minutes.last from/until: · The meeting lasted until lunchtime.· The training period lasted from July 2 to August 25.
to continue, especially for a long time: · The discussion went on for another four hours before agreement was reached.· The applause went on for ten minutes after the actors left the stage.go on and on (=continue for a very long time): · The noise from next door went on and on.
British to continue, especially in spite of problems or opposition: · The celebrations carried on as if nothing had happened.· The struggle for liberation will carry on long after I am dead.
formal if a problem or bad conditions persist , they continue to exist because you cannot stop them: · See your doctor if the symptoms persist.· If adverse weather conditions persist, the game will be cancelled.
formal to continue in the way that has been planned: · Work on the new tunnel is proceeding very well.· According to the newspaper the negotiations are proceeding smoothly.
to continue to happen or develop gradually over a period of time: as something progresses: · As the meeting progressed Jack became more and more bored.· As the war progressed, it became increasingly difficult to buy fresh food.
if something that is happening drags on , it is boring and seems to continue for much longer than necessary: · The talks dragged on, with no apparent hope of achieving a peaceful solution.drag on for an hour/weeks/years etc: · The history lesson dragged on for another hour.
when there is enough of something you need
· Here's $20. Is that enough?· Have you got enough drivers? I can help if you need me.enough something to do something · I make enough money to pay the bills and keep food on the table.enough (something) for something · Will there be enough room for Joey in the car?· This recipe makes enough for eight people.more than enough (=more than you need) · I've given you more than enough time to make up your mind.I've had enough (=say this when you have eaten enough food) · "Would you like some more pizza?" "No thanks, I've had enough."
formal enough: · It was decided that there was sufficient evidence to convict Marconi.sufficient for: · The money should be sufficient for one month's travel.
formal enough in amount, and good enough in quality: · None of his workers received adequate safety training.adequate for: · The heating system would only be adequate for a much smaller house.
spoken use this to say that a particular number or amount will be enough for what you need: · "I can't find any more envelopes." "That's OK - these should do."will do: · I can lend you some money -- will £10 do?something should do for something/something ought to do for something: · Ten bottles of wine should do for the party.That should do it/That ought to do it/That'll do it: · Take a few more for the kids. There, that should do it.something should do/ought to do/will do somebody: · Here's £20 for the shopping -- that should do you.
formal to be enough: will/would suffice: · A doctor's certificate will suffice as a form of permission. should suffice to do something (=will probably be enough to do it): · These few examples should suffice to illustrate how social attitudes are changing.
if an amount of money covers the cost of something, it is enough to pay for it: · $29.90 a month covers the cost of all your insurance.· Western aid to Third World countries barely covers the interest on their loans.
if an amount of food or money lasts for a period of time, there is enough of it for that period: last until: · I still have $100, but that won't last until the end of the vacation.last (somebody) 2 years/3 days etc: · A can of baby formula costing $6.00 will last you three to four days.
if an amount of something meets someone's needs , there is as much of it as that person needs - use this especially in formal or official contexts: · In many parts of the world, there is not enough food to meet everyone's needs.
to not die in spite of an accident, illness, or war
· Only 12 of the 140 passengers on the plane survived.· Doctors predicted that the baby would not survive with such severe disabilities.· My grandmother wouldn't survive another operation.· Not many of the insects survive the winter.
someone who has survived an accident, war, illness etc: · So far rescue workers have found no sign of any survivors.· Survivors of the accident were rushed to the nearest hospital.sole survivor (=the only survivor): · An eight-month-old baby girl was the sole survivor of a car crash that killed both her parents.
to continue to live and not die when you are in a very dangerous situation, for example in a war or when you have very little food: · They managed to stay alive by eating roots and berries.· We had to ignore the terrible things going on around us, and just concentrate on staying alive.
to survive and get better after having a very serious illness or injury: · I was so ill that the doctors weren't sure if I was going to pull through.· The first few days after the accident were awful, and everyone was just praying he'd pull through.
to survive after being involved in a serious accident, especially because of good luck: · The driver was killed but his passenger escaped with only a few scratches.escape injury/death etc: · The family escaped injury when a fire gutted their two-bedroom apartment.narrowly escape (=only just escape): · The prime minister narrowly escaped a terrorist bomb in 1999.
if you say that someone will live , you mean that they will survive, even though they have a very serious illness, injury etc: · One of the victims has severe burns and is not expected to live.live or die: · Our baby was in the intensive care unit, and we didn't know whether she would live or die.live to tell the tale/live to tell about it (=survive a very dangerous experience, so that you are able to tell people about it afterwards): · There were ten in the lifeboat, but only three lived to tell the tale.
informal to survive when you are in a very dangerous situation or when you have a very serious illness: · At one point I was so exhausted and weak that I didn't think I was going to make it.· I was surprised she had made it through the night.
if someone lasts a period of time, they continue to live during that period, even though they have a very serious illness or injury: · His breathing was getting worse and he was not expected to last the night.· It's amazing that she's managed to last this long, really.
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
 Each lesson lasts an hour. The ceasefire didn’t last long.
 A good coat will last you ten years. Cut flowers will last longer if you put flower food in the water.
 The batteries should last for 20 hours playing time. We only had $50 to last us the rest of the month.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· This is the band's last appearance in the UK before a 46-date tour of Europe.
 I’m going to Cuba next April.
· They made one final attempt to make their marriage work.
(=a final attempt to achieve something before it is too late)· Negotiators are making a last-ditch attempt to save the agreement.
 I was there last August.
 These clubs are the last bastions of male privilege.
· These plans are likely to result in lasting benefit to the whole of our district.
· The boats were built in the last century.
· This is my last chance to try and pass the exam.
· The final chapter summarizes the themes in the book.
(=very fast, because you have very little time remaining)· We only just caught our plane, after a last-minute dash to the airport.
 Last December they visited Prague.
 a last desperate throw of the dice to try and win his wife back
(=continues)· The effect of the drug lasts about six hours.
(=a last effort, when you want very much to achieve something)· Sam took a deep breath and prepared herself for one final effort.
(=all of something, including even the smallest amount of it) They made us pick up every last scrap of paper.
(=being famous for a long time)· Diderot gained lasting fame as the editor of the French Encyclopaedia.
 Mum died last February.
 The office has been closed for the last few days.
 The first and last mountain I climbed was Mount Rundle (=it was the only mountain I ever climbed).
 I wanted that moment to last forever.
 I had a terrible time last Friday.
· This began a lasting friendship between the two women.
· A last-minute goal condemned Fulham to a 0–1 home defeat.
· He struggled with ill health in the latter half of his life.
(=happiness that continues)· Leonie had found a lasting happiness in her relationship with Jim.
· The injury caused him discomfort but no lasting harm.
 He was last heard of in Washington (=he was in Washington the last time someone had information about him).
 In spite of some technical hitches, the first program was a success.
· The meeting lasted almost two hours.
(=one that lasts for a long time)· The arrival of the railways made a lasting impact on many sectors of the economy.
(=one that someone remembers for a long time)· Sam’s performance had clearly made a lasting impression on the audience.
(=continuing for a long time)· His travels in Africa had a lasting influence on his work.
 I haven’t heard from him since last January.
 Laura came over to England last July.
 I finished school last June.
 The last lap of their journey was by ship.
 If you leave your preparation until the last minute, you’ll reduce your chances of passing. I left the best bit until last.
· Your name will be first on my list.· Why am I always last on the list?
 She started work here last March.
 She started work here last May.
 An appeal has been launched to build a lasting memorial to the composer.
(=that you will always have)· The children's abiding memory of their father is of his patience and gentleness.
 Kelly arrived last Monday.
· The new restaurant opened last month.
· It rained last night.
 He started work here last November.
 We moved in last October.
 ‘When did you email her?’ ‘Only yesterday.’
· We had reached the last part of our journey.
· He has the chance to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians.
 She’s down to her last penny.
· There is one final point I would like to make.
(=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day)· The last post is at 5.30.
(also finish first/last etc in a race)· She came third in the race.
(=the place where someone is buried)
 A priest came to give him the last rites.
 I knew there would be a last-minute rush to meet the deadline.
 I saw Sally last Saturday at the mall.
 I haven’t heard from him since last September.
· He visited Brittany last summer.
 It was our wedding anniversary last Sunday.
· On the last day of term we went home early.
 He was arrested last Thursday.
 It was my birthday last Tuesday.
(=that will be important or useful for a long time)· He wanted to achieve something of lasting value.
 The new law removed the last vestiges of royal power.
 They left last Wednesday.
· Last week, my washing machine broke down.
· We were in Glasgow last weekend.
formal (=someone's will)
· Her last wish was to be buried in her husband’s grave.
· Last year we spent a lot on the house.
· He changed his opinion during the last years of his life.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
· They were easy interviews and lasted about ten minutes.· He gave only one kind of sound, a grating, even-toned grunt that lasted about one second.· The journey lasts about twenty five minutes.· Such cycles last about 100 years and have consisted of three phases, each about a generation long.· This would last about 2-3 weeks, during which time I asked the family to make great efforts with the treatment plan.· At the outset of the campaign, allied spokesmen suggested the air-only phase was expected to last about ten days.· It lasts about 45 minutes, and is not usually Communion.
· Depending on use, these will last for between 60 and 90 minutes of continuous operation.· It can thus invest on the assumption that the contract will not last for merely a year.· Its 3.3V design enables the battery to last for approximately eight hours.· We used Forest palisade poles, which are pressure-treated with preservative and guaranteed to last for at least fifteen years.· Furthermore, because projects can last for up to four months, an upturn could take time to emerge.· Hibernation lasts for between four and five months, from October until March or a little later in the north of Britain.· In fact the affair - if that's what it ever came to - lasted for only twenty days.· This arrangement appears to have lasted for around a century.
· Like their love, it would last forever.· This atmosphere can perhaps last for some time, but it will not last forever.· The stench of the skunk seems to last forever.· Success is not going to last forever.· At the moment they think being with their parents is absolutely wonderful and that's not going to last forever.· When you bought that new computer a couple of years ago, you probably thought its 500-megabyte hard disk would last forever.· I want this voyage to last forever.· At the top of the bell-shaped curve, you feel as if your success will last forever.
· The contest did not last long, but nearly 1500 were killed and wounded...· The ambiguity lasted long after Willie died.· When they did, walkouts never lasted long.· You don't last long in a job if you start killing people.· It was decomposing fast, of course, bodies don't last long in the sea, especially in this weather.· This didn't last long, however, as one customer thought it was there to be consumed!· The tequila didn't last long.
· Eddie Gray was a great player too and lasted longer than Best.· One town that has lasted longer than most is Bisbee.· I do go for designer clothes most of the time, because they last longer and are a far better quality.· Making these uses less energy, and they last longer than the cast iron drains and sewers they replace.· He noted, in passing, that he had lasted longer than Texas Sen.· Blanche wished her patience had lasted longer but she shrugged stoically.· The flowers will last longer in the cooler air, too.
NOUN
· They stayed on in Constantinople and became the nucleus of the Varangian Guard, which lasted for many centuries.· They lasted more than a century and still determine much of national life.· Some of this can be 1,000 times more radioactive than low-level waste, and its activity will last centuries rather than decades.· Instead, heavy trade restrictions were levied, driving the young country into a period of isolation that lasted over a century.· This arrangement appears to have lasted for around a century.· Plenty of mysteries have lasted for centuries and finally yielded to explanation.
· He had even tried to stop drinking a couple of times for me, though of course it never lasted.· The course lasts for two years and is a combination of taught lectures, tutorials and practical experience.· Those with a professional approach have provided structured courses for church musicians lasting a year or more.· This course lasts for the equivalent of three terms, and has two distinct parts.· The Lyons course was scheduled to last four years, but few pupils stayed much more than a year.· The full course last from January to November 1993, but it is made up of six separate units.
· They were able to reflect that their wanderings at sea had lasted precisely forty days and forty nights.· The meeting lasted two days and the competitors were billeted out in the homes of local schoolchildren.· The initial period lasts for 20 working days.· If the engagement lasts several days, like this festival, the first half drags.· At first his visit was intended to last only a few days.· The symptoms of flu may last several days, usually starting with a high temperature often with a headache.
· A similar Flosse-Vernaudon coalition in 1982 had lasted only 110 days.· Because of this search, the Mysteries last nine days, with a torchlit procession during the middle night.· The sergeant has denied assault, in a trial that's expected to last five days.· The moratorium would last 45 days but could be extended for up to two years.· In a bad season there may be one or two breaks in the wind pattern lasting four to seven days.· Normally, a stand down would last three days or so.· The initial period lasts for 20 working days.· Their conversations lasted seventeen days and ended in zero.
· Some of this can be 1,000 times more radioactive than low-level waste, and its activity will last centuries rather than decades.· It was a life that would last for a decade, and die with the war.· Many of these lakes last for decades if not centuries and are used by several generations of beavers.· Passage of the 1994 law came after a bitter fight that lasted nearly a decade.· The move, condemned by the International Labour Organization, led to a dispute which lasted through the decade.· What does it mean to say that a marriage which may have lasted decades was never valid?· Thus began a rich collaboration between the two that has lasted nearly five decades.· Give it six years and it should enter a terrific mature period that should last at least a decade.
· He was speaking after a meeting with Sir Patrick Mayhew which lasted more than an hour.· Rush hour lasts half an hour, and bicycles remain a realistic form of transportation.· More than 100 people attended the seminar, which was mean to last one-and-half hours but continued for three!· Then, the evening emergence lasts half an hour.· The visit lasted over an hour during which time Neil Kinnock experienced at first hand what carpet manufacturing was all about.· I thought it would last about half an hour.· The meeting lasted almost two hours.· There are guided tours lasting approximately an hour round the Town Hall.
· Helpers approaching have sometimes been bitten or attacked wildly in the delirium that follows and which may last as long as twelve tormented hours.· These divagations last several hours, and at no point does Blue have the sense that Black is walking to any purpose.· When such dinners can last for hours, a well-upholstered seat is essential.· The dreamlike flight lasted four hours.· Over 100 interviews were carried out, lasting some 170 hours in all, as well as several shorter, informal conversations.· She tried again the next day at a lower pump pressure and lasted two hours and fifteen minutes.· Our sense of achievement lasted the few hours until we collected the kids.· The movie lasts almost three hours and the two stars spend around 10 minutes together.
· The journey on the ferry lasted just half an hour.· The journey lasts about twenty five minutes.· The train journey lasted all day, and it was dark when they arrived at the station.· The caravan journey lasted no more than a mile.· The journey was meant to last three hours, but the train always left at least an hour late.
· Good looks can last your lifetime!· The second benefit is long lasting; in fact, it lasts a lifetime.· We've had enough of fair-haired people here to last us a lifetime!· Grief following any death can last a lifetime.· Eating smoked salmon while talking to Johnny Prescott had seemed to last a lifetime.· Indeed, the overwhelming fascination of men with female youth argues that pair bonds have lasted lifetimes.· In a single sentence, Pope John provided the Council with a method and commentators with material that could last a lifetime.· Properly cared for, however, they can last a lifetime, even become heirlooms.
· No song lasted more than three minutes, and after each the carrot-haired kid cursed us to death.· The seizure usually lasts about 1 minute and is typically followed by a brief period of confusion.· The trial of the 22-year-old player lasted 45 minutes.· It lasted only a minute and stopped.· Not for the first time this season, he was lucky to last 90 minutes.· The obligatory standing ovation when he first entered the game against the Golden State Warriors lasted less than a minute.· Begin increasing training intensity as soon as you can last the 20 minutes.· This stalemate lasted an excruciating minute until Ray sat down.
· A test session lasting 30 minutes or more is not unusual.· A 6-3 third set lasted only 26 perfunctory minutes.· I try and believe in important things and they don't last for five minutes.· Each pre-shift meeting should last 20 minutes, not two or three, and emphasize selling strategies.· His opening statement to the commission was a rambling affair lasting 75 minutes.· It lasted about 20 minutes, time only for a few film clips.· The whole proceedings lasted only twenty-three minutes and assurances were given that the House would be kept informed.
· For £14.50 you can buy a season ticket to last four months.· It was Desmond who put me on the game - that lasted for a few months, then I got fed up with it.· A truce of sorts lasted until a month ago when the Gabrielsens revoked the agreement, their legal right under its provisions.· It is expected to last two months with a break between June 19 and July 7.· It would last for another six months, but by the time it ended, intimate revue was finally dead.· He did not last six months.
· His longest relationship had lasted three months, and he had few friends.· It lasted a nerve-racking eight months.· The condition can last for months, but it goes away completely in time.· Holiness aside, he was ill-suited for the papal office; he lasted five months in the Vatican.· For £40.00 you can buy a season ticket to last 12 months.· It was Desmond who put me on the game - that lasted for a few months, then I got fed up with it.· Such a suspension can last for months or years.
· Oliver Ingraham said that the emergency nurses had told him he should be prepared: Jasper might not last the night.· She can't last the night through.· Such meetings can last all day and night, or for the duration of the trip.· The highs can last all night - the lows a life-time.· His clemency had earned him the regard of the West and would, surely, last until Twelfth Night.
· To make sure that the peace lasts, ask other friends and family for help.· Despite his calls for moderation, however, he must have known that peace would not last.
· Never over-exercise; the ideal period should not last longer than 15 minutes.· Instead, heavy trade restrictions were levied, driving the young country into a period of isolation that lasted over a century.· The initial period lasts for 20 working days.· The first period lasts until age 7 or 8.· The training period lasted from July 2 to August 25, with area studies concentrated in the final month.· Give it six years and it should enter a terrific mature period that should last at least a decade.· Then I got worried when my period lasted a month.
· He had seen enough terror there to last him the rest of his days.· If only this day could last for the rest of her life.· As we drove back through Johannesburg, I wondered if I would be able to last the rest of the week.· It develops a state of mind which lasts for the rest of one's life; an approach to things.· In 1832 Nicholas made a trade agreement with Washington which lasted for the rest of the century.
· My irritation at the contrivance lasted for 30 seconds.· One of them was a local boxer from Medfield who lasted 89 seconds with Mike Tyson.· The witnesses would say later that the searingly brilliant white flash seemed to last for several seconds.· This process should last only a few seconds or the coral will begin to dissolve.· It lasted only about 60 seconds, and perhaps it doesn't sound like a particularly memorable sighting.· It lasted only a few seconds before a vision of terror struck them dumb.
· The trial lasted for a month, but no reports of the proceedings had appeared.· That phase of the trial is expected to last only a week.· The trial is expected to last several weeks.· The trial is expected to last about a week, attorneys said.· Bedworth's trial, expected to last three weeks, continues.· The trial lasted for over a month.· In contrast to Guinness I, Ward's trial lasted just six weeks and was based on one charge.
· The alliance should prepare for a conventional war lasting no more than a few days.· But the war has lasted a long time and you learn to cope with such things.· I wondered just how long the war would last.· All these countries are deep in civil wars that have lasted for years-or even decades.· They all prayed that the war wouldn't last long.· Little did we imagine then that the war would last until November 1918.
· He had been admitted with a fever which had lasted for three weeks.· He thought she might not last a week at Anpetuwi.· The trial is expected to last about a week.· The trial, the first of its kind, is expected to last three weeks.· It was the beginning of a siege that would last a week.
· Family credit lasts for 26 weeks at a time, then you will have to reapply.· When the hypercalcemia is due to toxicity from vitamin D2 therapy, it may last for several weeks.· Taylor suggests that in more than 50% of cases of acute H pylori infection, hypochlorhydria lasts for several weeks.· The situation worsened when another shutdown began on Dec. 16. and lasted more than three weeks.· In the spring of 1785 Leopold Mozart paid his son a visit lasting 10 weeks.· The chorea tends to occur several months after rheumatic fever and lasts four to six weeks at most.· Complaints lasting for days or weeks from excitement of the emotions, worry or vexation.· The trial, held in the cafeteria of the Youth Guidance Center, lasted four weeks.
· The death of a pit is the end of an era, in some cases lasting more than 100 years.· He calculates the car will last two more years after which he thinks he will be able to sell it for £400.· Coal reserves have also expanded worldwide, with Britain's contribution expected to last several hundred years.· Those with a professional approach have provided structured courses for church musicians lasting a year or more.· The 1975 definition was an exceptionally pure version that had not been current previously and only lasted a year or two.
· He calculates the car will last two more years after which he thinks he will be able to sell it for £400.· Typically lasts 10 to 15 years, depending on the brand.· The course lasts for two years and is a combination of taught lectures, tutorials and practical experience.· The probe has lasted for nearly two years and in its final days has split the House into warring partisan camps.· It is extraordinary that their image of being hardworking, respectable and down-to-earth has lasted for so many years.· Typically lasts up to 50 years.· Replacement of curling stones is long-delayed as a pair of stones can last up to 25 years.
VERB
· It was built to last, and the vaulted classrooms now serve as tearooms for any tourists intrepid enough to reach them.· That was built to last if anything ever was.· So offices were built to last.· A sleek executive saloon that's built to last.· Old Hercule's stuff had been built to last, she reflected ruefully as she turned on the shower.· Alexandra Palace was built to last.
· The sergeant has denied assault, in a trial that's expected to last five days.· Few expected Reno to last to the end of Clinton's term.· Marriage was expected to last for life and adultery and fornication were punished in the ecclesiastical courts.· It is a situation expected to last out the century, at the least.· One of the problems of today's eating habits is that people expect food to last over longer periods.· I had embarked on a life-time career that I expected would last for the following forty years.· It is expected to last two months with a break between June 19 and July 7.· That phase of the trial is expected to last only a week.
Phrases
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
  • In the final analysis Stalin was just as much a dictator as Hitler.
  • In the final analysis, the project was a failure.
  • The responsibility for the accident must, in the last analysis, rest with the captain.
  • And, in the final analysis, are they any good?
  • But in the final analysis it had been he who wanted out.
  • But in the final analysis, these are just details.
  • It should also comfort to recognize that, in the final analysis, these sums are operating to purify decision-making.
  • That, in the final analysis, is what organizational control is all about.
  • The pressures driving research evaluation are, in the final analysis, political.
  • The shift of leadership to John Smith may seem temporarily convincing, but it is in the last analysis cosmetic.
  • The Trotskyist movement could benefit only in the final analysis and in the long range.
  • With his last breath, he told me he would always love me.
  • Five hours more and she'd breathe her last and never know them.
  • In the blue light of the morning he breathed his last.
  • Large-scale, publicly-owned enterprises will breathe their last gasp and wither away well before the state which spawned them.
  • Millions who were dangerously ill or breathing their last.
  • The moment Carey was confident that Elizabeth had breathed her last he was in the saddle, racing for the Border.
  • When it looked as though he was breathing his last, Beria's face shone with delight.
► the last but one/the next but two etc
  • At the last count, only 18 Japanese firms were making car parts in America.
  • There are a lot of professional athletes living in the Orlando area -- more than 100 at last count.
  • Apart from Summerchild and a clerical assistant, the Unit at the last count still consisted of one single member, Serafin herself.
  • I have, at the last count, 19 separate applications under consideration by 12 separate funding bodies.
  • It has now become a challenge to find new varieties of herb - at the last count there were just over 130.
  • More than 200, in fact, at the last count.
  • My sister Mahaud, at the last count, had more admirers than there are Elks.
  • The total world population was put at 190 at the last count.
  • They have been joined by a growing group of people denied entry, 198 at the last count.
  • Yet at the last count there were six oil-rich states bordering the Gulf.
► be down to your last pound/dollar/litre etc
  • So he said, with those famous last words, "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
  • And a system whose first and last resort was all too often expediency.
  • At Banff I climbed my first and last mountain - Mount Rundle.
  • For the first and last time in her life, Amelia was too preoccupied to interact with her peers.
  • I sat back and treated myself to a cigarette, determined to make it the first and last of the day.
  • Instead of pressing the spacebar anywhere between the first and last characters of the text, press the Home spacebar.
  • It was the first and last time that management capitulated in the face of a departing mortgage trader.
  • She wrote that she was dying of a fever, and asked him to visit her for the first and last time.
  • These records included the first and last dates of all absences and the reason for absence.
  • This cold spell appears to be winter's last gasp for the year.
  • But it also was the last gasp for a team on the slide.
  • Large-scale, publicly-owned enterprises will breathe their last gasp and wither away well before the state which spawned them.
  • Sometimes even negative change is interpreted as merely the last gasp of the resistant old order.
  • That is the way to add people on their last gasp to the repossessed list, not reduce it.
  • This is the last gasp of the Romantic revolution that Beethoven instigated.
  • Whether it is a rebirth or a last gasp remains to be seen.
► too good to be true/to last► not hear the last of somebody
  • Advocates just seem to take it on faith that annexation is the only hope of salvation for this city.
  • But mad or not, you are my only hope, Meg.
  • But Thomas Sachs was now her only hope.
  • I expected to be disappointed, though the letter was now my only hope.
  • In the long term, Mr Heseltine said that privatisation was the only hope for the industry.
  • Is he only hoping to make money?
  • Robert Urquhart was her only hope, her only ally.
  • That was the only hope I had of reaching the doctor.
  • Despite his bulk, he jumped several fences in a last-ditch attempt to escape.
  • Horrified by his latest intentions, they were perhaps genuinely considering a last-ditch attempt to save him from himself.
  • Last night, Mr Jones said he was involved in a last-ditch effort to save the unit.
  • Munich had inspired a last-ditch attempt to bring down Chamberlain and save the peace.
  • Not as a second-rate effort or a last-ditch effort.
  • So finally, in a last-ditch attempt to salvage the exercise as a whole, the following workshop activity was developed.
  • The Republican victories came despite a last-ditch effort by the president to help Democratic candidates.
► the last judgment► the last post► the last rites
  • Boy did he have the last laugh.
  • Holding a rolling pin and determined to have the last laugh.
  • Yet women drivers have the last laugh.
► to a man/to the last man
  • Marriage is the last thing on my mind right now.
  • And with so many players rushing into the market at the last minute, prices soared.
  • As expected, Rachel canceled at the last minute.
  • At the last minute a sense of something unsaid made her hurry after him.
  • At the last minute the parent would abandon its charade and fly off to safety.
  • At the last minute, McCain was relegated to the Oval Office.
  • Not all were satisfied that the last minute restrictions were necessary.
  • Work is still going on in fitting out a new store right up to the last minute.
  • At the last moment he saw an apple lying on the dresser and put it in his pocket.
  • At the last moment, I looked up at the sky.
  • But at the last moment courage failed them.
  • I took the can carefully away at the last moment.
  • I was hoping to hit him, but he dove clear at the last moment.
  • In Madrid Casado triumphed and at the last moment Communist power was broken.
  • We keep getting ready to go to oh all sorts of places - but at the last moment something always comes up.
  • Stewart was assured of the championship in the next to last race of the year.
  • Lock the doors and turn off the lights last thing at night.
  • The soldiers are supposed to polish their shoes last thing at night.
  • Empty ashtrays last thing at night, and don't smoke in bed.
  • It's the first thing I look at when I wake up, the last thing at night.
  • It was after dark; the last thing at night.
  • Of course, only in moderate quantities, and generally to be taken last thing at night.
  • The only times my father could be found in his room were first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
  • The rosary last thing at night.
  • This can be carried out last thing at night, once the puppy has been outside to relieve itself.
  • Why not set a few moments aside first thing in the morning and last thing at night?
  • It had taken every ounce of courage she possessed to board the aircraft after her last experience.
  • They took everything she had, down to the last penny.
  • Great power status was in the last resort the ability to wage war.
  • In buildings of more than two storeys, wait for the fire brigade, and jump only as a last resort.
  • Lithium was to be a last resort, and it looked as if she needed some in October.
  • Only in the last resort, under careful international policing and after all other attempts at persuasion have been exhausted.
  • That was a last resort, they said.
  • The guidance emphasises that restraint should be used as a last resort within a caring and disciplined home environment.
  • They also want to use public community service jobs as a last resort, something Wilson strongly opposes.
  • Who is the lender of last resort stopping financial panics and capital outflows from bringing the system down?
  • At the graveside, a volley of shots ... before a Hercules flew overhead to pay its last respects.
  • Many thousands paid their last respects to Dubcek at his funeral in Bratislava on Nov. 15.
  • The Krays, Richardsons, and many more villains had come to pay their last respects.
  • This was quite a normal thing at that time and neighbours would call to pay their last respects.
  • Both were given last rites before being taken into the operating room.
  • But they can not perform Catholic sacramental duties, such as hearing confession, offering Communion or giving last rites.
  • It might as well have been the last rites.
  • So he did what he has become accustomed to doing - gave the last rites.
  • The Steelers were one Hail Mary away from last rites.
  • They will have nothing to do with Catholic baptisms, marriages, or last rites.
  • When a priest arrived to administer the last rites, Mansell sent him away.
  • Your marriage has got off to an unfortunate start but it doesn't warrant the last rites just yet.
  • I hope we've seen the last of Tina Hughes' stupid boyfriend!
  • All she did know was that she hadn't seen the last of him by a long chalk!
  • At the end of the ceremony, they would see the last of the candidates step into the silvery baptismal pool.
  • But still the house of Eli has not seen the last of it.
  • Hadn't she thought she'd seen the last of Rourke Deveraugh?
  • History is full of such isms, and we have hardly seen the last of them.
  • It was a relief to see the last of them.
  • We haven't seen the last of Bonnie.
  • We may not have seen the last of this controversy.
  • Making me work late on a Friday was the last straw!
  • Suzy lying to me about the money was the last straw.
  • And they felt that the pressures of her work had been the last straw.
  • For some reason that Jinny did not quite understand, it was the last straw.
  • For some, the effort to silence Zundel was the last straw.
  • His electoral thefts were the last straw.
  • Mr Brown said the planned charges were the last straw for customers already angry over banks' high-handed attitude.
  • My getting this malignancy is the last straw, in her opinion.
  • Recruitment of 40 top staff was the last straw.
  • Sending in bailiffs was the last straw.
  • I like going to bed with her when going to bed with me is the last thing she wants.
  • To be slipshod is to be hounded, which is the last thing he wants.
  • With household costs inevitably rising, the last thing he wants is a larger mortgage than he can reasonably afford.
  • It was the last thing he ever saw.
  • Nobody can get to that last thing.
  • Right now the last thing she wanted was to have them say it to her.
  • The last thing Ardamal heard as he raced down the corridor was the tinkle of metal parts hitting the floor.
  • The last thing I will be is a high-wire walker.
  • This is the last thing President Mikhail Gorbachev needs, as he tries to contain a staggering economic crisis.
  • When you have a chance to shoot 59, the last thing you want to do is leave it short.
  • With household costs inevitably rising, the last thing he wants is a larger mortgage than he can reasonably afford.
  • The final word rests with the board.
  • But the final word must be reserved for the destructive, disruptive role played by George Bush's administration.
  • But the project belonged ultimately to the pupils and they should have the last words.
  • By no means has the last word been written on the quantum Hall effect.
  • Dana was opinionated and liked to have the last word in an argument.
  • He had learned to let Leah have the last word.
  • Intimacy is probably the last word anyone would use in connection with the Coliseum.
  • Let that be the last word.
  • So they do; but that is not the last word, only the first.
1[intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] to continue for a particular length of timelast for/until/through etc The hot weather lasted for the whole month of June.last an hour/ten minutes etc Each lesson lasts an hour. The ceasefire didn’t last long.► see thesaurus at continue2[intransitive, transitive] to continue to exist, be effective, or remain in good condition for a long time:  This good weather won’t last.last (somebody) two days/three weeks etc A good coat will last you ten years. Cut flowers will last longer if you put flower food in the water.3[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] (also last out (something) British English) to manage to remain in the same situation, even when this is difficult:  They won’t be able to last much longer without fresh supplies. If you go into the job with that attitude, you won’t last long. She feared she might not be able to last out the afternoon in court without fainting.4[intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to be enough for someone for a period of time SYN  dolast (somebody) for/until/to etc The batteries should last for 20 hours playing time. We only had $50 to last us the rest of the month.
last1 determiner, adjectivelast2 adverblast3 noun, pronounlast4 verblast5 noun
lastlast5 noun [countable] Word Origin
WORD ORIGINlast5
Origin:
Old English læste, from last ‘footmark’
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
  • It's good to see their interests being looked after at long last.
  • It was last to start and at this rate, will probably be last to finish.
Thesaurus
Longman Language Activatorcoming at the end after all others
happening or coming at the end, with no others after: · What time does the last train leave?· Could you repeat the last number for me please?· I really struggled on that last question.· Don't miss the last episode tonight at 8.00 p.m.· I may as well eat that last little piece.very last (=use this to emphasize that something is last): · The very last train leaves at 1.00 a.m.the last time: · That was the last time I ever saw her. (=I never saw her again)last chance: · Today is your last chance to visit the fashion show, which ends this evening.the last: · That lecture was the last in the series.
last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc: · Are you going to watch the final episode of 'The X-Files' tomorrow night?· He got as far as the final interviews, but he didn't get the job unfortunately.· I'd like to make one final point before we move on to another subject.final stages/moments/minutes (=at or near the end of a period or process): · The president appears tired but hopeful as the final stages of the negotiations begin today.· Whitney made both free throws in the final minute of the game.final game/round/match etc: · A victory over Fresno State in the final game Saturday would produce a record run of wins.· The two men were tied for the lead going into today's final round of the Dunlop Phoenix golf tournament.
the closing part of an event or period of time is the last part of it - use this especially when something important or exciting happens: the closing stages/chapter/sentence etc: · Marcos is expected to address the closing session of the conference later Monday.· The rider from the Netherlands is still in the lead as the Tour de France enters its closing stage today.· The closing scene of 'Casablanca' is one of the great moments of film history.closing seconds/minutes/years etc: · Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing seconds of the game.· the closing years of the 20th centuryclosing argument (=the final speech made by a lawyer in a court): · After the defense finishes its closing argument, the prosecution will have the opportunity to reply.
the concluding part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event is the last part of it, which finishes it in the way that was planned: concluding stages/chapter/remarks etc: · We will return to these points in the concluding chapter.· In his concluding remarks, Santos drew attention to the issues facing developing countries. · The Appeal court will, at the concluding stage, test its own opinions against those of the judges in the original hearing.
formal the second of two things or people that are being compared with each other: · Opportunities for men and women, though especially the latter, are limited to employment in agriculture or domestic service.· There were two candidates for the presidency, Lyndon B Johnson and Senator Barry Goldwater. The latter was known to hold extreme right-wing views.
to be the last one in a line, group, race etc
· There's no point in trying, because I know I'm going to be last.· We were last in a very long queue, so I knew we'd have a long wait.be (the) last to do something · Sally was last to arrive.· His plane was always the first to take off, and the last to land.be last in line (=be the last person to have something, especially when this seems unfair) · I was the youngest in a family of four, so I was always last in line for clothes and toys.· Let's just say I don't want to be last in line for promotion.
also come last British to finish a race or competition in the last position: · Our school always comes in last in the regional competition.· Bakatin came last with just 3.4% of the vote.· Despite finishing last of six, he was only beaten by two lengths.
to be last in a line or group of people, cars, ships etc that is moving forward: · We all followed our guide up the path, Marcus and I bringing up the rear.· The funeral hearse was followed by cars full of friends, and a company of Life Guards brought up the rear.
a person who is too slow to keep the same speed as the rest of the group they are with, so that they move along some distance behind: · A few stragglers got lost in the fog.· After three and a half hours, the stragglers were still coming through.
the one just before the last one
coming just before the last one in a series, list, line etc: · I've nearly finished this test. I'm on the next to last question.· "How much have you read?" "I'm on the second to last chapter."· It wasn't until the next to last day of the vacation that she dared to go to the beach.
British the one just before the last one: · She had several husbands. Garry Burton, the last but one, was a real alcoholic.· He and his family escaped on the last but one ship to leave Hamburg.· There's a long row of houses and I live in the last but one.
especially British, formal coming just before the last one: · We booked a moped for the penultimate day of the holiday.· Particularly impressive is the horn section on the penultimate track, 'Just Jivin' Around'.penultimate stage/step: · These trials are actually the penultimate step toward choosing the Olympic team for this summer's games.penultimate game/round/lap etc: · Eric scored a timely win in the penultimate round of the Formula 1 championship.· His horse slipped and fell at the penultimate fence.
what you say to introduce the last thing in a speech etc
use this when something is the last thing you want to say, especially at the end of a long speech or piece of writing: · Finally, I'd like to thank all those people who helped make the conference such a success.· And finally, don't miss Albuquerque's amazing punk band, playing tonight at the Lunar Club.
use this to say that something is the last of a list of things, or when something is the last thing you want to say: · Now lastly, before you all leave, I want to mention some tips for the interview stage.· And lastly, Delia, do you see the movement towards more and more computerization continuing in the future?· Firstly it's too big, secondly we can't afford it, and lastly we don't really need it.
use this when you are mentioning the last person or thing in a list, to emphasize that they are just as important as all the others: · Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new accountant.· And last but not least, I thank Begona Canup for her interest in the book.last but certainly not/by no means least: · Social Security has reduced poverty, and last, but by no means least, it has been a good deal for participants.
to continue for a particular period of time
use this to say how long something continues: · Mexico achieved a remarkable 8% annual growth rate, but the new prosperity did not last.· Ours was a happy marriage, but I always feared it wouldn't last.last 2 hours/6 months/a long time etc: · The whole opera lasts about four hours.· The earthquake lasted 30 seconds and caused 12,000 casualties.· The silence in the room seemed to last a very long time before she spoke.· rainstorms lasting all night long· Each consultation can last between 10 minutes and half an hour.last for 2 hours/a long time/years etc: · The performance is expected to last for approximately 3 hours.· The effects of Josie's experience could last for years, doctors say.last from/until etc: · The talks lasted until the early hours of the morning.· The drug produces a powerful cocaine-type high that lasts for days.· The Sung dynasty lasted from 960 to 1278.last into the 19th century/1980s/next decade etc: · This phase of the educational campaign lasted into the 1960s.last long: · Analysts are confident the downturn in share prices will not last long.· It's the worst cold I've ever had, but luckily it didn't last very long.last forever: · I wanted the weekend to last forever.last as long as: · The pilots say the walkout could last as long as two months.
use this when you want to say how much time is needed to do something or for something to happen: take 2 hours/6 months etc: · The bridge was closed, so the journey took much longer than usual.· Can you give me an idea how long this is going to take?· It took two years for Eddie to learn how to walk again.take 2 hours/6 months etc to do: · The software will take a few minutes to load.· They're just fun books, they don't take very long to read.take somebody 2 hours/6 months etc to do: · Doing the painting alone will take him all day.it takes (somebody) 2 hours/six months etc to do something: · It takes me about half an hour to get ready in the mornings.· It didn't take Susie long to find out what was going on between us.· It took three and a half hours to come back from Swansea.
if something, especially something boring or unpleasant, goes on for a particular period of time, that is how long it lasts: · The chairman's speech went on for what seemed like hours.· It sounds like the sort of meeting that could go on forever.· It starts at seven, but I don't know how long it goes on for.· It was a big lawsuit, and it went on for quite a while.
use this about something that seems to continue for a long time: · The siege dragged on into its second month.drag on for: · I can't afford to let the case drag on for months.
if a play, show, event etc runs for a particular period of time, it continues to be shown or performed for that period of time: · The Ideal Homes exhibition will run until 6 p.m. each day over the weekend.run for: · The play ran for two months on Broadway.· The media campaign features four commercials that will run for eight weeks.· One of the top sit-coms was 'On the Buses', which ran for sixty episodesrun and run British (=used in newspapers, magazines etc to say that a play, show etc will be very successful and will be performed for a long time): · This is one that will, I believe, run and run.
if a process, activity, event etc extends over a long period of time, it continues for that period of time: · We had a marathon recording session extending over eighteen hours.· If the investigation is a sustained piece of work extending over a period of weeks, a diary will help to track events.
to stay in good condition for a particular period of time
use this about clothes, equipment, furniture etc to say how long they will remain in good condition: · Cheap saucepans can't really be expected to last.· It's amazing how long this car has lasted, really.· You can get washable plastic lace by the yard, which lasts much better than the real thing.last (for) 7 years/2 months/a long time etc: · Some wine-makers will tell you that a cask lasts only for four years.· When the houses were put up in 1946, they really weren't meant to last more than ten years.last (somebody) a lifetime (=last a very long time): · With care, a mahogany dining table will last you a lifetime.· Well-made golf clubs ought to last a lifetime, so it's worth paying the extra.
use this about food or drink to say how long it will remain fresh: · You'd better eat these cakes today -- they won't keep.keep for 2 days/24 hours etc: · The yoghurt will keep for about a week in a refrigerator.keep until/till: · Do you think this bacon will keep till tomorrow?keep well: · Eat celery as soon as possible -- it does not keep well for long periods.
use this about food or about flowers that have been cut: · Homemade bread never stays as fresh as the stuff you buy in the supermarket.stay fresh for 2 weeks/2 days/a long time etc: · Strain the stock and put in a sealed container. It should stay fresh for up to three days.· Bend the stems, as this will make the blooms stay fresh for longer.
when a supply of something continues to be enough
if a supply of something lasts for a particular period of time, there continues to be enough of it for someone to use until the end of that period: last (somebody) two weeks/three days etc: · He knew they only had enough food to last another three days.· $400 won't last you long in Chicago.
to use a supply of something carefully so that it is not all used quickly: · I sent my sister $500, with some advice on how to make it last.make something last longer/a long time etc: · You can add ice or additional mixer to alcoholic drinks make them last longer.· One group delayed spending the grant in order to make its funds last as long as possible.· She only had a small amount of food left, and knew she'd have to make it last the week.
to make a small amount of something such as food or money last longer, by carefully using only very small amounts of it -- used especially in literature: eke out something: · Dealers are mixing the drug with heroin and cocaine to eke out their supplies.· She lived on a shoestring during these years, eking out the pennies as best she could. eke something out: · I'm not ashamed to eke food out.
the part of something that remains
what is left after everything or everyone else has gone, been used, or been dealt with: · You carry these two bags and I'll bring the rest.· Homes were found for about 5,000 of the animals, but the rest had to be killed.the rest of: · What will you do with the rest of the money?· He'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
the small amount that remains after everything else has gone, or been eaten, used, destroyed etc. What remains of is more formal than what is left of: · Soldiers were firing on what remained of the church.· At last she went, and I settled down to enjoy what was left of the afternoon.
the very last part of something that is left after everything else has gone: · The last of the tickets were sold Thursday.· This is the last of the paint, and I don't think it's going to be enough.· The judge sentenced the last of the three defendants in the case to 10 years.
formal the part of something that remains after everything else has gone: · £100 of the purchase price must be paid now, and the remainder is to be paid off in monthly installments.the remainder of: · Simmer the soup uncovered for the remainder of the cooking time.· The school board agreed to suspend Linda Cole for the remainder of the school year.
the part of something that remains after everything else has gone or been eaten, used, destroyed etc: the remains of sth: · Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient Roman village.· Each pile of gray ash was the remains of a house.
informal food that has not been eaten at the end of a meal: · We used the leftovers to make soup the next day.· It's a great way to use up leftovers.
the parts that remain when the rest of a building has been destroyed: · In Greece we spent a lot of time exploring old churches and ruins.· the ancient Mayan ruins at Chichen Itzaruins of: · Lumber was salvaged from the ruins of burned-out houses.
the few parts of something that remain after people have stopped using it or after it has been destroyed: · Archeologists are worried that the ancient steps, walls, and other remnants may be lost forever.remnants from: · Two stained glass windows were remnants from when the building had been used as a church.remnants of: · Rescuers dug through the remnants of 342 cities, towns, and villages demolished in the earthquake.· The two leaders promised to work to remove any remnants of Cold War hostility.
WORD SETS
adze, nounair pump, nounanvil, nounattachment, nounauger, nounawl, nounaxe, nounbargepole, nounbattleaxe, nounbevel, nounbillhook, nounbit, nounblade, nounboat hook, nounbox end wrench, nounbradawl, nounbranding iron, nounBunsen burner, nounbuzz saw, nouncalculator, nouncallipers, nouncard, nounchainsaw, nounchisel, nouncircular saw, nounclaw, nouncraft knife, nouncrowbar, nouncutter, noundrill, noundropper, noundynamo, nounendoscope, nounfile, nounfile, verbgenerator, noungimlet, noungizmo, noungrappling iron, noungrindstone, nounhacksaw, nounhammer, nounhandsaw, nounharrow, nounhatchet, nounhigh-pressure, adjectiveinstrument, nounjack, nounjackhammer, nounjemmy, nounjigsaw, nounjimmy, nounknitting needle, nounlast, nounlevel, nounlever, nounmachete, nounmallet, nounmattock, nounmonkey wrench, nounnutcracker, nounpenknife, nounperiscope, nounpick, nounpickaxe, nounpinking shears, nounplane, nounplaner, nounpliers, nounplough, nounplumb line, nounplunger, nounpneumatic drill, nounpower drill, nounpower tool, nounprod, nounpulley, nounpunch, nounram, nounrasp, nounretool, verbriddle, nounrose, nounruler, nounsander, nounsandpaper, nounsaw, nounscissors, nounscraper, nounscrewdriver, nounshaft, nounshank, nounsickle, nounsieve, nounsledgehammer, nounsoldering iron, nounspanner, nounspirit level, nounspray gun, nounsquare, nounstamp, nounstaple gun, nounstripper, nountape, nountape measure, nountheodolite, nounthermometer, nounthermostat, nountomahawk, nountongs, nountool, nountool kit, nountriangle, nountrowel, nounT-square, nountwo-handed, adjectivewand, nounwedge, nounwhet, verbwhetstone, nounwire cutters, nounworkbench, nounyoke, noun
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
· This is the band's last appearance in the UK before a 46-date tour of Europe.
 I’m going to Cuba next April.
· They made one final attempt to make their marriage work.
(=a final attempt to achieve something before it is too late)· Negotiators are making a last-ditch attempt to save the agreement.
 I was there last August.
 These clubs are the last bastions of male privilege.
· These plans are likely to result in lasting benefit to the whole of our district.
· The boats were built in the last century.
· This is my last chance to try and pass the exam.
· The final chapter summarizes the themes in the book.
(=very fast, because you have very little time remaining)· We only just caught our plane, after a last-minute dash to the airport.
 Last December they visited Prague.
 a last desperate throw of the dice to try and win his wife back
(=continues)· The effect of the drug lasts about six hours.
(=a last effort, when you want very much to achieve something)· Sam took a deep breath and prepared herself for one final effort.
(=all of something, including even the smallest amount of it) They made us pick up every last scrap of paper.
(=being famous for a long time)· Diderot gained lasting fame as the editor of the French Encyclopaedia.
 Mum died last February.
 The office has been closed for the last few days.
 The first and last mountain I climbed was Mount Rundle (=it was the only mountain I ever climbed).
 I wanted that moment to last forever.
 I had a terrible time last Friday.
· This began a lasting friendship between the two women.
· A last-minute goal condemned Fulham to a 0–1 home defeat.
· He struggled with ill health in the latter half of his life.
(=happiness that continues)· Leonie had found a lasting happiness in her relationship with Jim.
· The injury caused him discomfort but no lasting harm.
 He was last heard of in Washington (=he was in Washington the last time someone had information about him).
 In spite of some technical hitches, the first program was a success.
· The meeting lasted almost two hours.
(=one that lasts for a long time)· The arrival of the railways made a lasting impact on many sectors of the economy.
(=one that someone remembers for a long time)· Sam’s performance had clearly made a lasting impression on the audience.
(=continuing for a long time)· His travels in Africa had a lasting influence on his work.
 I haven’t heard from him since last January.
 Laura came over to England last July.
 I finished school last June.
 The last lap of their journey was by ship.
 If you leave your preparation until the last minute, you’ll reduce your chances of passing. I left the best bit until last.
· Your name will be first on my list.· Why am I always last on the list?
 She started work here last March.
 She started work here last May.
 An appeal has been launched to build a lasting memorial to the composer.
(=that you will always have)· The children's abiding memory of their father is of his patience and gentleness.
 Kelly arrived last Monday.
· The new restaurant opened last month.
· It rained last night.
 He started work here last November.
 We moved in last October.
 ‘When did you email her?’ ‘Only yesterday.’
· We had reached the last part of our journey.
· He has the chance to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians.
 She’s down to her last penny.
· There is one final point I would like to make.
(=the first, second, or last collection or delivery of letters each day)· The last post is at 5.30.
(also finish first/last etc in a race)· She came third in the race.
(=the place where someone is buried)
 A priest came to give him the last rites.
 I knew there would be a last-minute rush to meet the deadline.
 I saw Sally last Saturday at the mall.
 I haven’t heard from him since last September.
· He visited Brittany last summer.
 It was our wedding anniversary last Sunday.
· On the last day of term we went home early.
 He was arrested last Thursday.
 It was my birthday last Tuesday.
(=that will be important or useful for a long time)· He wanted to achieve something of lasting value.
 The new law removed the last vestiges of royal power.
 They left last Wednesday.
· Last week, my washing machine broke down.
· We were in Glasgow last weekend.
formal (=someone's will)
· Her last wish was to be buried in her husband’s grave.
· Last year we spent a lot on the house.
· He changed his opinion during the last years of his life.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· It's good to see their interests being looked after at long last.· At long last came the passing out.· He also knew that the next few minutes could lose what chance had so miraculously delivered up to him at long last.· The 17 months of agony washed away at long last.· However, as you probably know, the Earnings Rule was at long last abolished at the start of October 1989.· Remembering the kiss he had given her after breakfast it seemed as if their relationship might at long last have changed.· Perhaps it's a real fire at long last.· Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?
Phrases
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
  • In the final analysis Stalin was just as much a dictator as Hitler.
  • In the final analysis, the project was a failure.
  • The responsibility for the accident must, in the last analysis, rest with the captain.
  • And, in the final analysis, are they any good?
  • But in the final analysis it had been he who wanted out.
  • But in the final analysis, these are just details.
  • It should also comfort to recognize that, in the final analysis, these sums are operating to purify decision-making.
  • That, in the final analysis, is what organizational control is all about.
  • The pressures driving research evaluation are, in the final analysis, political.
  • The shift of leadership to John Smith may seem temporarily convincing, but it is in the last analysis cosmetic.
  • The Trotskyist movement could benefit only in the final analysis and in the long range.
  • With his last breath, he told me he would always love me.
  • Five hours more and she'd breathe her last and never know them.
  • In the blue light of the morning he breathed his last.
  • Large-scale, publicly-owned enterprises will breathe their last gasp and wither away well before the state which spawned them.
  • Millions who were dangerously ill or breathing their last.
  • The moment Carey was confident that Elizabeth had breathed her last he was in the saddle, racing for the Border.
  • When it looked as though he was breathing his last, Beria's face shone with delight.
► the last but one/the next but two etc
  • At the last count, only 18 Japanese firms were making car parts in America.
  • There are a lot of professional athletes living in the Orlando area -- more than 100 at last count.
  • Apart from Summerchild and a clerical assistant, the Unit at the last count still consisted of one single member, Serafin herself.
  • I have, at the last count, 19 separate applications under consideration by 12 separate funding bodies.
  • It has now become a challenge to find new varieties of herb - at the last count there were just over 130.
  • More than 200, in fact, at the last count.
  • My sister Mahaud, at the last count, had more admirers than there are Elks.
  • The total world population was put at 190 at the last count.
  • They have been joined by a growing group of people denied entry, 198 at the last count.
  • Yet at the last count there were six oil-rich states bordering the Gulf.
► be down to your last pound/dollar/litre etc
  • So he said, with those famous last words, "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
  • And a system whose first and last resort was all too often expediency.
  • At Banff I climbed my first and last mountain - Mount Rundle.
  • For the first and last time in her life, Amelia was too preoccupied to interact with her peers.
  • I sat back and treated myself to a cigarette, determined to make it the first and last of the day.
  • Instead of pressing the spacebar anywhere between the first and last characters of the text, press the Home spacebar.
  • It was the first and last time that management capitulated in the face of a departing mortgage trader.
  • She wrote that she was dying of a fever, and asked him to visit her for the first and last time.
  • These records included the first and last dates of all absences and the reason for absence.
  • This cold spell appears to be winter's last gasp for the year.
  • But it also was the last gasp for a team on the slide.
  • Large-scale, publicly-owned enterprises will breathe their last gasp and wither away well before the state which spawned them.
  • Sometimes even negative change is interpreted as merely the last gasp of the resistant old order.
  • That is the way to add people on their last gasp to the repossessed list, not reduce it.
  • This is the last gasp of the Romantic revolution that Beethoven instigated.
  • Whether it is a rebirth or a last gasp remains to be seen.
► too good to be true/to last► not hear the last of somebody
  • Advocates just seem to take it on faith that annexation is the only hope of salvation for this city.
  • But mad or not, you are my only hope, Meg.
  • But Thomas Sachs was now her only hope.
  • I expected to be disappointed, though the letter was now my only hope.
  • In the long term, Mr Heseltine said that privatisation was the only hope for the industry.
  • Is he only hoping to make money?
  • Robert Urquhart was her only hope, her only ally.
  • That was the only hope I had of reaching the doctor.
  • Despite his bulk, he jumped several fences in a last-ditch attempt to escape.
  • Horrified by his latest intentions, they were perhaps genuinely considering a last-ditch attempt to save him from himself.
  • Last night, Mr Jones said he was involved in a last-ditch effort to save the unit.
  • Munich had inspired a last-ditch attempt to bring down Chamberlain and save the peace.
  • Not as a second-rate effort or a last-ditch effort.
  • So finally, in a last-ditch attempt to salvage the exercise as a whole, the following workshop activity was developed.
  • The Republican victories came despite a last-ditch effort by the president to help Democratic candidates.
► the last judgment► the last post► the last rites
  • Boy did he have the last laugh.
  • Holding a rolling pin and determined to have the last laugh.
  • Yet women drivers have the last laugh.
► to a man/to the last man
  • Marriage is the last thing on my mind right now.
  • And with so many players rushing into the market at the last minute, prices soared.
  • As expected, Rachel canceled at the last minute.
  • At the last minute a sense of something unsaid made her hurry after him.
  • At the last minute the parent would abandon its charade and fly off to safety.
  • At the last minute, McCain was relegated to the Oval Office.
  • Not all were satisfied that the last minute restrictions were necessary.
  • Work is still going on in fitting out a new store right up to the last minute.
  • At the last moment he saw an apple lying on the dresser and put it in his pocket.
  • At the last moment, I looked up at the sky.
  • But at the last moment courage failed them.
  • I took the can carefully away at the last moment.
  • I was hoping to hit him, but he dove clear at the last moment.
  • In Madrid Casado triumphed and at the last moment Communist power was broken.
  • We keep getting ready to go to oh all sorts of places - but at the last moment something always comes up.
  • Stewart was assured of the championship in the next to last race of the year.
  • Lock the doors and turn off the lights last thing at night.
  • The soldiers are supposed to polish their shoes last thing at night.
  • Empty ashtrays last thing at night, and don't smoke in bed.
  • It's the first thing I look at when I wake up, the last thing at night.
  • It was after dark; the last thing at night.
  • Of course, only in moderate quantities, and generally to be taken last thing at night.
  • The only times my father could be found in his room were first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
  • The rosary last thing at night.
  • This can be carried out last thing at night, once the puppy has been outside to relieve itself.
  • Why not set a few moments aside first thing in the morning and last thing at night?
  • It had taken every ounce of courage she possessed to board the aircraft after her last experience.
  • They took everything she had, down to the last penny.
  • Great power status was in the last resort the ability to wage war.
  • In buildings of more than two storeys, wait for the fire brigade, and jump only as a last resort.
  • Lithium was to be a last resort, and it looked as if she needed some in October.
  • Only in the last resort, under careful international policing and after all other attempts at persuasion have been exhausted.
  • That was a last resort, they said.
  • The guidance emphasises that restraint should be used as a last resort within a caring and disciplined home environment.
  • They also want to use public community service jobs as a last resort, something Wilson strongly opposes.
  • Who is the lender of last resort stopping financial panics and capital outflows from bringing the system down?
  • At the graveside, a volley of shots ... before a Hercules flew overhead to pay its last respects.
  • Many thousands paid their last respects to Dubcek at his funeral in Bratislava on Nov. 15.
  • The Krays, Richardsons, and many more villains had come to pay their last respects.
  • This was quite a normal thing at that time and neighbours would call to pay their last respects.
  • Both were given last rites before being taken into the operating room.
  • But they can not perform Catholic sacramental duties, such as hearing confession, offering Communion or giving last rites.
  • It might as well have been the last rites.
  • So he did what he has become accustomed to doing - gave the last rites.
  • The Steelers were one Hail Mary away from last rites.
  • They will have nothing to do with Catholic baptisms, marriages, or last rites.
  • When a priest arrived to administer the last rites, Mansell sent him away.
  • Your marriage has got off to an unfortunate start but it doesn't warrant the last rites just yet.
  • I hope we've seen the last of Tina Hughes' stupid boyfriend!
  • All she did know was that she hadn't seen the last of him by a long chalk!
  • At the end of the ceremony, they would see the last of the candidates step into the silvery baptismal pool.
  • But still the house of Eli has not seen the last of it.
  • Hadn't she thought she'd seen the last of Rourke Deveraugh?
  • History is full of such isms, and we have hardly seen the last of them.
  • It was a relief to see the last of them.
  • We haven't seen the last of Bonnie.
  • We may not have seen the last of this controversy.
  • Making me work late on a Friday was the last straw!
  • Suzy lying to me about the money was the last straw.
  • And they felt that the pressures of her work had been the last straw.
  • For some reason that Jinny did not quite understand, it was the last straw.
  • For some, the effort to silence Zundel was the last straw.
  • His electoral thefts were the last straw.
  • Mr Brown said the planned charges were the last straw for customers already angry over banks' high-handed attitude.
  • My getting this malignancy is the last straw, in her opinion.
  • Recruitment of 40 top staff was the last straw.
  • Sending in bailiffs was the last straw.
  • I like going to bed with her when going to bed with me is the last thing she wants.
  • To be slipshod is to be hounded, which is the last thing he wants.
  • With household costs inevitably rising, the last thing he wants is a larger mortgage than he can reasonably afford.
  • It was the last thing he ever saw.
  • Nobody can get to that last thing.
  • Right now the last thing she wanted was to have them say it to her.
  • The last thing Ardamal heard as he raced down the corridor was the tinkle of metal parts hitting the floor.
  • The last thing I will be is a high-wire walker.
  • This is the last thing President Mikhail Gorbachev needs, as he tries to contain a staggering economic crisis.
  • When you have a chance to shoot 59, the last thing you want to do is leave it short.
  • With household costs inevitably rising, the last thing he wants is a larger mortgage than he can reasonably afford.
  • The final word rests with the board.
  • But the final word must be reserved for the destructive, disruptive role played by George Bush's administration.
  • But the project belonged ultimately to the pupils and they should have the last words.
  • By no means has the last word been written on the quantum Hall effect.
  • Dana was opinionated and liked to have the last word in an argument.
  • He had learned to let Leah have the last word.
  • Intimacy is probably the last word anyone would use in connection with the Coliseum.
  • Let that be the last word.
  • So they do; but that is not the last word, only the first.
 a piece of wood or metal shaped like a human foot, used by someone who makes and repairs shoes
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