What does "last" mean?

1. (most recent) the one that happened just before now. 2. (final) coming after all others in a series or group. 3. (least likely) the person or thing you would least expect or want. 4. (most recently) the most recent time that something happened. 5. (at the end) after everything or everyone else. 6. (to continue) to continue for a particular amount of time. 7. (shoemaking tool) a model of a foot used by a shoemaker to shape a shoe.

last — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I went to London in the last week."?

No — say "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'.

Word

01most recent

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.

“We went to a great Italian restaurant last night.”

“Last year saw a significant increase in remote work across the tech sector, a trend that few analysts predicted would hold so firmly.”

Pitfall

I 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'.

Synonyms

previous preceding

Antonyms

next following

02final

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.

“This is the last bus of the evening, so don't miss it.”

“The last chapter of the biography provides a moving account of the artist's final years in rural France.”

Synonyms

final ultimate closing

Antonyms

first initial

03least likely

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.

“He is the last person I expected to see at the party.”

“Given her reputation for punctuality, she was the last person the manager expected to arrive late for the board meeting.”

Synonyms

least likely

04most recently

A2 · Elementary

adv. the most recent time that something happened.

adv. on the most recent occasion.

“When did you last see your brother?”

“The policy was last updated in 2010, making it largely irrelevant to the current digital landscape.”

Synonyms

previously

05at the end

A2 · Elementary

adv. after everything or everyone else.

adv. after all others in a sequence or series.

“I saved the best news for last.”

“The runner started slowly but managed to overtake the leaders, finishing last in the first heat but winning the final.”

Synonyms

finally ultimately

Antonyms

first

06to continue

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.

“The meeting lasted for two hours.”

“The battery is designed to last for up to ten hours of continuous video playback under normal operating conditions.”

Usage

This verb is often followed by a duration or a time expression.

Synonyms

endure continue persist

Antonyms

end stop

07shoemaking tool

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Technical

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.

“The cobbler placed the leather over the wooden last to shape the boot.”

“Bespoke shoemakers maintain individual lasts for each client to ensure a perfect fit across different styles of footwear.”

Synonyms

mold form

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.

VERB

outlast(B2)

NOUN

ballast(C2)

DETERMINER

last(A2)

at last last time last week last year next statement