last-ditch

[ last-dich, lahst- ]

adjective

1. done finally in desperation to avoid defeat, failure, disaster, etc.:

   a last-ditch attempt to avert war.

2. fought with every resource at one's command:

   a last-ditch battle for the pennant.

last-ditch

noun

1. modifier made or done as a last desperate attempt or effort in the face of opposition

Other Words From

• last-ditch·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of last-ditch¹

First recorded in 1905–10; last ¹ + ditch

Example Sentences

Worries about a last ditch Nazi stand in the Alps had mounted appreciably over the final year of the war.

From The Daily Beast

Her husband, Ethan (Mark Duplass), books them a vacation retreat in a last-ditch effort to repair their relationship.

From The Daily Beast

Analysts weighed in, calling the campaign a last ditch effort to save a restaurant on life support.

From The Daily Beast

For women spending upwards of $10,000 in a last-ditch effort to have a baby, such a reduction in chances can be devastating.

From The Daily Beast

Both are last-ditch measures to disrupt a missile engagement, not to prevent tracking.

From The Daily Beast

I've quite half an hour before post goes, and I shall fight to the last ditch.

From Project Gutenberg

And you never will, until you throw out the ones who have fought moderation right down to the last ditch.

From Project Gutenberg

You know Nataly Lees going to fight to the last ditch against selling things that way.

From Project Gutenberg

It is the last ditch stand of liberty in a world of servitude.

From Project Gutenberg

I know what comes afterward—to a man or to a nation—when driven to the last ditch of pain.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• do-or-die
• frantic
• last-gasp