Synonyms for last-ditch


Grammar : Adj
Spell : last-ditch, lahst-
Phonetic Transcription : ˈlæstˈdɪttʃ, ˈlɑst-


Définition of last-ditch

Origin :
  • "on the last line of defense," 1715, attributed to William of Orange; if so, originally in a Dutch context.
  • We have no space to enter into the detail of the heroic struggle maintained by the young stadtholder and his faithful Dutchmen; how they laid their country under water, and successfully kept the powerful invader at bay. Once the contest seemed utterly hopeless. William was advised to compromise the matter, and yield up Holland as the conquest of Louis XIV. "No," replied he; "I mean to die in the last ditch." A speech alone sufficient to render his memory immortal. [Agnes Strickland, "Lives of the Queens of England," London, 1847]
  • adj last-minute
Example sentences :
  • He's been the people's Golden Boy, their last-ditch hope for peace.
  • Extract from : « Bear Trap » by Alan Edward Nourse
  • The valorous retreat of the French and their last-ditch stand on the Marne compelled admiration.
  • Extract from : « Woodrow Wilson and the World War » by Charles Seymour
  • I knew then that he had already bought forty thousand, and that this was the last-ditch stand.
  • Extract from : « Friday, the Thirteenth » by Thomas W. Lawson
  • All those dying, suffering, last-ditch men lying around, and the two worn-out doctors hurrying among 'em—they didn't care.
  • Extract from : « Short Stories of Various Types » by Various
  • They were, however, potentially so capable of making things worse that they would not be tried save as last-ditch measures.
  • Extract from : « The Vortex Blaster » by Edward Elmer Smith
  • As with the sixth and seventh resolves, this last-ditch effort made no difference.
  • Extract from : « The Road to Independence: Virginia 1763-1783 » by Virginia State Dept. of Education

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Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019