Meaning of 'last' (Webster Dictionary)
- of Last, to endure, contracted from
lasteth.
- Being after all the others, similarly classed or considered,
in time, place, or order of succession; following all the rest; final;
hindmost; farthest; as, the last year of a century; the last man in a
line of soldiers; the last page in a book; his last chance.
- Next before the present; as, I saw him last week.
- Supreme; highest in degree; utmost.
- Lowest in rank or degree; as, the last prize.
- Farthest of all from a given quality, character, or
condition; most unlikely; having least fitness; as, he is the last
person to be accused of theft.
- At a time or on an occasion which is the latest of all those
spoken of or which have occurred; the last time; as, I saw him last in
New York.
- In conclusion; finally.
- At a time next preceding the present time.
- A load; a heavy burden; hence, a certain weight or measure,
generally estimated at 4,000 lbs., but varying for different articles
and in different countries. In England, a last of codfish, white
herrings, meal, or ashes, is twelve barrels; a last of corn, ten
quarters, or eighty bushels, in some parts of England, twenty-one
quarters; of gunpowder, twenty-four barrels, each containing 100 lbs;
of red herrings, twenty cades, or 20,000; of hides, twelve dozen; of
leather, twenty dickers; of pitch and tar, fourteen barrels; of wool,
twelve sacks; of flax or feathers, 1,700 lbs.
- The burden of a ship; a cargo.
- To continue in time; to endure; to remain in existence.
- To endure use, or continue in existence, without
impairment or exhaustion; as, this cloth lasts better than that; the
fuel will last through the winter.
- A wooden block shaped like the human foot, on which boots
and shoes are formed.
- To shape with a last; to fasten or fit to a last; to place
smoothly on a last; as, to last a boot.
Meaning of 'last' (Princeton's WordNet)
Meaning (1):
- the time at which life ends; continuing until dead
Example in sentence:- a struggle to the last;
- she stayed until his death
Meaning (2):
- a person's dying act; the final thing a person can do
Meaning (3):
- the last or lowest in an ordering or series
Example in sentence:- he finished an inglorious last;
- he was the last to leave
Meaning (4):
- the final stage or concluding parts of an event or occurrence
Example in sentence:- I had to miss the last of the movie;
- the end was exciting
Meaning (5):
- the temporal end; the concluding time
Example in sentence:- the market was up at the finish;
- the stopping point of each round was signaled by a bell;
- they were playing better at the close of the season
Meaning (6):
- continue to live and avoid dying
Example in sentence:- how long can a person last without food and water?;
- One crash victim died, the other lived;
- The race car driver lived through several very serious accidents;
- These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America;
- We went without water and food for 3 days
Meaning (7):
- persist for a specified period of time
Example in sentence:- The bad weather lasted for three days
Meaning (8):
- coming after all others in time or space or degree or being the only one remaining
Example in sentence:- down to his last nickel;
- had the last word;
- he raised his voice in a last supreme call;
- the last day of the month;
- the last game of the season;
- the last time I saw Paris;
- waited until the last minute
Meaning (9):
- most recently
Meaning (10):
- the item at the end
Example in sentence:- last, I'll discuss family values
Meaning (11):
- conclusive in a process or progression
Example in sentence:- a last resort;
- the final answer;
- the net result
Meaning (12):
- occurring at or forming an end or termination
Example in sentence:- his concluding words came as a surprise;
- terminal leave;
- the final chapter;
- the last days of the dinosaurs
Meaning (13):
- occurring at the time of death
Example in sentence:- his last words;
- the last rites
Meaning (14):
- lowest in rank or importance
Meaning (15):
- immediately past
Example in sentence:- last Thursday;
- the last chapter we read
Meaning (16):
- not to be altered or undone
Example in sentence:- the arbiter will have the last say;
- the judge's decision is final
Meaning (17):
- most unlikely or unsuitable
Example in sentence:- the last man they would have chosen for the job;
- the last person we would have suspected
Meaning (18):
- highest in extent or degree
Example in sentence:- to the last measure of human endurance;
- whether they were accomplices in the last degree or a lesser one was...to be determined individually
Definition
[ 3d pers. sing. pres.]