last
- 01 A1 Beginner
det.the one that happened just before now.
det.denoting the person or thing immediately preceding the present or the one most recently mentioned.
Simple“We went to a great Italian restaurant last night.”
In context“Last year saw a significant increase in remote work across the tech sector, a trend that few analysts predicted would hold so firmly.”
PitfallI went to London in the last week. I went to London last week.When using 'last' with time words like week, month, or year to mean 'the one before this one', do not use 'the'.
- 02 A1 Beginner
adj.coming after all others in a series or group.
adj.coming after all others in time, order, or importance; ultimate in a sequence.
Simple“This is the last bus of the evening, so don't miss it.”
In context“The last chapter of the biography provides a moving account of the artist's final years in rural France.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.the person or thing you would least expect or want.
adj.the least likely or suitable; the most remote from a given quality or condition.
Simple“He is the last person I expected to see at the party.”
In context“Given her reputation for punctuality, she was the last person the manager expected to arrive late for the board meeting.”
Synonymsleast likely - 04 A2 Elementary
adv.the most recent time that something happened.
adv.on the most recent occasion.
Simple“When did you last see your brother?”
In context“The policy was last updated in 2010, making it largely irrelevant to the current digital landscape.”
Synonyms - 05 A2 Elementary
adv.after everything or everyone else.
adv.after all others in a sequence or series.
Simple“I saved the best news for last.”
In context“The runner started slowly but managed to overtake the leaders, finishing last in the first heat but winning the final.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 06 A2 Elementary
v.to continue for a particular amount of time.
v.to continue in time; to endure or remain functional for a specific duration.
Simple“The meeting lasted for two hours.”
In context“The battery is designed to last for up to ten hours of continuous video playback under normal operating conditions.”
UsageThis verb is often followed by a duration or a time expression.
- 07 C2 Proficiency
n.a model of a foot used by a shoemaker to shape a shoe.
n.a mechanical form that has a shape similar to that of a human foot, used by shoemakers in the manufacture and repair of shoes.
Simple“The cobbler placed the leather over the wooden last to shape the boot.”
In context“Bespoke shoemakers maintain individual lasts for each client to ensure a perfect fit across different styles of footwear.”
Usage last year · last week · last month
From Middle English laste, latst, syncopated variant of latest.
From Middle English lasten, from Old English lǣstan, from Proto-West Germanic laistijan, from Proto-Germanic laistijaną. Cognate with German leisten (“yield”).
The noun is derived from Middle English lest, leste (“shoemaker’s model shaped like a foot, last”), from Old English lǣste (“shoemaker‘s last”), from Proto-Germanic laistiz, from laisǭ (“track, trail”), from Proto-Indo-European leys-eh₂-, from leys- (“to trace; to track”). Doublet of learn and lore. The verb is derived from the noun. cognates * Dutch leest * German Leisten Proto-Germanic laistaz (“footprint”) * Swedish läst
From Middle English last, from Old English hlæst (“burden, load, freight”), from Proto-Germanic hlastuz (“burden, load, freight”), from Proto-Indo-European kleh₂- (“to put, lay out”). Cognate with West Frisian lêst, Dutch last, German Last, Swedish last, Icelandic lest.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.