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last

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: lást, Last, läst, låst, and læst

English

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WOTD – 15 November 2025
English numbers (edit)
1 2  → [a], [b], [c], [d]
    Cardinal: one
    Ordinal: first
    Abbreviated ordinal: 1st
    Latinate ordinal: primary
    Reverse order ordinal: last
    Latinate reverse order ordinal: ultimate
    Adverbial: one time, once
    Multiplier: onefold
    Latinate multiplier: single
    Distributive: singly
    Germanic collective: onesome
    Collective of n parts: singlet, singleton
    Greek or Latinate collective: monad
    Greek collective prefix: mono-
    Latinate collective prefix: uni-
    Fractional: whole
    Elemental: singlet, singleton
    Greek prefix: proto-
    Number of musicians: solo
    Number of years: year

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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    From Middle English laste, latst, syncopated variant of latest, both ultimately from Old English latost. Doublet of latest.

    Adjective

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    last (not comparable)

    1. Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its kind.
      Will try to fix it by myself for now: as a last resort, we can always take it to a grease monkey.
      Eyes Wide Shut was the last film to be directed by Stanley Kubrick.
      • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
        Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […] , down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.
    2. Most recent, latest, last so far.
      The last time I saw him, he was married.
      I have received your note dated the 17th last, and am responding to say that […] (archaic usage)
    3. Farthest of all from a given quality, character, or condition; most unlikely, or least preferable.
      He is the last person to be accused of theft.
      The last person I want to meet is Helen.
      More rain is the last thing we need right now.
    4. Being the only one remaining of its class.
      Japan is the last empire.
    5. Supreme; highest in degree; utmost.
      • 1802, Robert Hall, Reflections on War:
        Contending for principles of the last importance.
    6. Lowest in rank or degree.
      Three contestants will win awards, but the last prize is just a book voucher.
      • 1797 May 8 (first performance), Richard Cumberland, “The Last of the Family. A Comedy.”, in Frances Marianne [Cumberland] Jansen, editor, The Posthumous Dramatick Works of the Late Richard Cumberland, Esq. […], volume II, London: […] [F]or G[eorge] and W[illiam] Nicol, […]; by W[illiam] Bulmer and Co., […], published 1813, →OCLC, Act III, scene [iii], page 237:
        In one word then, unless I could unfold the mystery, I will not wish you to consider me but as the last and lowest of mankind.
      • 1899, Richard Savage, The White Lady of Khaminavatka: A Story of the Ukraine, page 186:
        The whole community from the patrician master to the last beggar knew that in the five months when the generous bosom of the steppe throbbed with creative life, they must toil for the subsistence of all […]
      • 1970, Julius Fast, Body Language, →ISBN, page 39:
        Lesser, but still important executives had offices without corner windows. The rank below this had offices without windows at all. […] The last rank had desks out in an open room.
      • 2003 March 31, Marko Peljhan, “Lecture: March 31, 2003”, in Jen Budney, Adrian Blackwell, editors, Unboxed Engagements in Social Space, published 2005, →ISBN, page 110:
        Russia is a very different place than here. […] Even the last soldier knows who Malevich was, and what the Black Square is, since they were taught this in school.
    Synonyms
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    Derived terms
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    Translations
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    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Determiner

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    last

    1. The (one) immediately before the present.
      We went there last year.
      I was last to go; you're next.
    2. (of days of the week or months of the year) Closest in the past, or closest but one if the closest was very recent; of days, sometimes thought to specifically refer to the instance closest to seven days (one week) ago, or the most recent instance before seven days (one week) ago.
      It's Wednesday, and the party was last Tuesday; that is, not yesterday, but eight days ago.
      When you say last Monday, do you mean the Monday just gone, or the one before that?
      Where my brother had stood last night, I now stood.
    Usage notes
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    • (both senses): This cannot be used in past or future tense to refer to a time immediately before the subject matter. For example, one does not say I was very tired yesterday, due to not having slept well last night: last night in that sentence refers to the night before the speaker is speaking, not the night before the "yesterday" to which he refers. He would need to say I was very tired yesterday, due to not having slept well the night before or the like.
    Translations
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    Adverb

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    last (not comparable)

    1. Most recently.
      When we last met, he was based in Toronto.
    2. (sequence) after everything else; finally
      As I arrived last of all, I'll go last to add the butter last.
      last but not least
    Synonyms
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    Translations
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    Etymology 2

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      From Middle English lasten, from Old English lǣstan, from Proto-West Germanic *laistijan, from Proto-Germanic *laistijaną. Cognate with German leisten (“yield”).

      Verb

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      last (third-person singular simple present lasts, present participle lasting, simple past and past participle lasted)

      1. (intransitive) To endure, continue over time.
        Summer seems to last longer each year.
        They seem happy now, but that won't last long.
        They say this blizzard might last (for) days.
        • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XLII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 65:
          And love will last as pure and whole
          ⁠As when he loved me here in Time,
          ⁠And at the spiritual prime
          Rewaken with the dawning soul.
        • 1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter I, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co., […], [1933], →OCLC, page 0016:
          Thus the red damask curtains which now shut out the fog-laden, drizzling atmosphere of the Marylebone Road, had cost a mere song, and yet they might have been warranted to last another thirty years. A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; […].
        • 2023 November 15, Prof. Jim Wild, “This train was delayed because of bad weather in space”, in RAIL, number 996, page 30:
          One of the earliest (and biggest) space weather events on record occurred in September 1859, when a massive solar eruption crashed into the Earth's magnetosphere, triggering a geomagnetic storm that lasted for days.
      2. (intransitive) To hold out, continue undefeated or entire.
        I don't know how much longer we can last without reinforcements.
      3. (intransitive, slang, of a man) To purposefully refrain from orgasm
      4. (transitive, obsolete) To perform, carry out.
      Synonyms
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      The terms below need to be checked and allocated to the definitions (senses) of the headword above. Each term should appear in the sense for which it is appropriate. For synonyms and antonyms you may use the templates {{syn|en|...}} or {{ant|en|...}}.
      Antonyms
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      Derived terms
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      Translations
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      Etymology 3

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          A pair of wooden lasts.

          The noun is derived from Middle English lest, leste (“shoemaker’s model shaped like a foot, last”),[1] from Old English lǣste (“shoemaker‘s last”),[2] from Proto-Germanic *laistiz, from *laisǭ (“track, trail”), from Proto-Indo-European *leys-eh₂-, from *leys- (“to trace; to track”).[3] Doublet of learn and lore.

          The verb is derived from the noun.[4]

          cognates

          Noun

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          last (plural lasts)

          2. (shoemaking) A tool in the form of a foot on which an item of footwear (such as a boot or shoe) is placed for shaping while it is being manufactured or repaired.
            Hyponyms: bootlast, shoe-last
            Coordinate terms: boot tree, shoe tree
          Derived terms
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          Translations
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          Verb

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          last (third-person singular simple present lasts, present participle lasting, simple past and past participle lasted)

          1. (transitive, shoemaking) To shape (an item of footwear such as a boot or shoe) during its manufacture or repair while it is placed on a last (noun etymology 3, noun sense 1).
            to last a boot
            • 1819 November 1, William Archer Deacon, “Specification of the Patent Granted to William Archer Deacon, of Pilgrim’s Hatch, in the Parish of South Weald, in the County of Essex, Gentleman; for Certain Improvements in the Manufacture of Boots, Shoes, and Clogs, by the Application of Certain Materials hitherto Unused for that Purpose. Dated November 1, 1819”, in The Repertory of Arts, Manufactures, and Agriculture. […], volume XXXVIII (2nd Series), number CCXXVII, London: […] [Nichols and Son] for J. Wyatt, […], published April 1821, →OCLC, page 278:
              I now begin to last the boot, shoe, or clog with a wax thread, in the same way as boot or shoemakers brace the toe-part of a boot or shoe down to the inner sole, but no nails or tacks must be used, […]
            • 2010, Paul Langer, “Cycling”, in Matthew B. Werd, E. Leslie Knight, editors, Athletic Footwear and Orthoses in Sports Medicine, New York, N.Y.; Dordrecht, South Holland: Springer Science+Business Media, →DOI, →ISBN, part II (Sport-specific Recommendations), page 201:
              Sport cycling shoes are lasted on semi-curved or semi-straight lasts much like walking and hiking shoes.
          Derived terms
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          Translations
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          Etymology 4

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            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.

            Noun

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            last (plural lasts or lasten)

            1. (obsolete) A burden; load; a cargo; freight.
            2. (obsolete) A measure of weight or quantity, varying in designation depending on the goods concerned.
              • 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, Kupperman, published 1988, page 114:
                Now we so quietly followed our businesse, that in three moneths wee made three or foure Last of Tarre, Pitch, and Sope ashes [...].
              • 1866, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 1, page 169:
                The last of wool is twelve sacks.
            3. (obsolete) An old English (and Dutch) measure of the carrying capacity of a ship, equal to two tons.
            4. A load of some commodity with reference to its weight and commercial value.
            Derived terms
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            Translations
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            References

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            1. ^ “lē̆st(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
            2. ^ Joseph Bosworth (1882), “lǽste”, in T[homas] Northcote Toller, editor, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 612, column 2.
            3. ^ Compare “last, n.1”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2024; “last3, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
            4. ^ “last, v.4”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2025.

            Further reading

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            Anagrams

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            Chinese

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            Etymology

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            From English last.

            Pronunciation 1

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            Adjective

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            last

            1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) last (final; ultimate)

            Adverb

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            last

            1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) finally; in the end; ultimately

            Pronunciation 2

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            Verb

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            last

            1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to last (to endure)

            Danish

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            Pronunciation

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            Etymology 1

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            From Middle Low German last, from the verb laden (“to transport”), from Old Saxon hladan.

            Noun

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            last c (singular definite lasten, plural indefinite laster)

            1. cargo
            2. cargo hold, hold (cargo area)
            3. weight, burden
            Inflection
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            Declension of last
            common
            gender             		singular plural
            indefinite definite indefinite definite
            nominative last lasten laster lasterne
            genitive lasts lastens lasters lasternes
            Synonyms
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            Etymology 2

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            From Old Norse lǫstr, from Proto-Germanic *lahstuz, derived from the root of *lahaną (“to reproach, blame”).

            Noun

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            last c (singular definite lasten, plural indefinite laster)

            1. vice
            Inflection
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            Declension of last
            common
            gender             		singular plural
            indefinite definite indefinite definite
            nominative last lasten laster lasterne
            genitive lasts lastens lasters lasternes

            Etymology 3

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            See laste (“to load, carry”) and laste (“to blame”).

            Verb

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            last

            1. imperative of laste

            Further reading

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            Dutch

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            Pronunciation

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            Etymology 1

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            From Middle Dutch last, from Old Dutch *last, from Proto-Germanic *hlastuz. Equivalent to laden (“to load”) +‎ -st (“verbal noun”).

            Noun

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            last m (plural lasten, diminutive lastje n)

            1. load, weight
            2. burden
            3. hindrance, problem
            4. expense
            5. (law) requirement, duty
            6. (dated) a measure of volume, 3 cubic meter
            Derived terms
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            Descendants
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            • Negerhollands: last

            Etymology 2

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            See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

            Verb

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            last

            1. inflection of lassen:
              1. second/third-person singular present indicative
              2. (archaic) plural imperative

            Anagrams

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            Estonian

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            Etymology 1

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            From either Low German last or German Last. First attested in 1869.

            Pronunciation

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            • IPA(key): /ˈlɑsʲt/, [ˈlɑsʲtˑ]
            • Rhymes: -ɑsʲt
            • Hyphenation: last

            Noun

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            last (genitive lasti, partitive lasti)

            1. cargo
              Synonym: laadung
              Veok koos lastiga hävines tulekahjus täielikult.
              The truck, along with its cargo, was completely destroyed in the fire.
            Declension
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            Declension of last (ÕS type 22e/riik, length gradation)
            singular plural
            nominative last lastid
            accusative nom.
            gen. lasti
            genitive lastide
            partitive lasti laste
            lastisid
            illative lasti
            lastisse             		lastidesse
            lastesse
            inessive lastis lastides
            lastes
            elative lastist lastidest
            lastest
            allative lastile lastidele
            lastele
            adessive lastil lastidel
            lastel
            ablative lastilt lastidelt
            lastelt
            translative lastiks lastideks
            lasteks
            terminative lastini lastideni
            essive lastina lastidena
            abessive lastita lastideta
            comitative lastiga lastidega
            Derived terms
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            verbs
            Compounds
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            Etymology 2

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            See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

            Pronunciation

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            • IPA(key): /ˈlɑst/, [ˈlɑst]
            • Rhymes: -ɑst
            • Hyphenation: last

            Noun

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            last

            1. partitive singular of laps

            References

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            • last in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)
            • “last”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009

            Faroese

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            Pronunciation

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            Etymology 1

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            From Old Norse lǫstr, from the root of Proto-Germanic *lahaną (“to reproach, blame”), see also Old High German lastar (“vice”).

            Noun

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            last f (genitive singular lastar, plural lastir)

            1. vice
            Inflection
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            f2 singular plural
            indefinite definite indefinite definite
            nominative last lastin lastir lastirnar
            accusative last lastina lastir lastirnar
            dative last lastini lastum lastunum
            genitive lastar lastarinnar lasta lastanna

            Etymology 2

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            From Middle Low German last, from the verb lāden (“to load”), from Old Saxon hladan.

            Noun

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            last f (genitive singular lastar, plural lastir)

            1. cargo
            2. cargo hold, hold (cargo area)
            Inflection
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            f2 singular plural
            indefinite definite indefinite definite
            nominative last lastin lastir lastirnar
            accusative last lastina lastir lastirnar
            dative last lastini lastum lastunum
            genitive lastar lastarinnar lasta lastanna

            German

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            Etymology 1

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            See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

            Pronunciation

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            Verb

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            last

            1. second-person singular preterite of lesen
              Synonym: lasest
            2. second-person plural preterite of lesen

            Etymology 2

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            See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

            Pronunciation

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            Verb

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            last

            1. alternative form of laste
              1. imperative singular of lasten
              2. (colloquial) first-person singular present of lasten

            Icelandic

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            Etymology

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            See löstur (“fault, vice, reprehensible action”).

            Pronunciation

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            Noun

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            last n (genitive singular lasts, no plural)

            1. blame
              Synonym: baktal

            Declension

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            Declension of last (sg-only neuter)
            singular
            indefinite definite
            nominative last lastið
            accusative last lastið
            dative lasti lastinu
            genitive lasts lastsins

            Derived terms

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            Middle Dutch

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            Etymology

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            From Old Dutch *last, from Proto-Germanic *hlastuz.

            Noun

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            last m or f or n

            1. load, weight
            2. task, duty, obligation
            3. tax (money)
            4. (emotional) difficulty, sorrow
            5. a unit of volume

            Inflection

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            Strong masculine noun
            singular plural
            nominative last laste
            accusative last laste
            genitive lasts laste
            dative laste lasten
            Strong feminine noun
            singular plural
            nominative last laste
            accusative last laste
            genitive last, laste laste
            dative last, laste lasten
            Strong neuter noun
            singular plural
            nominative last last, laste
            accusative last last, laste
            genitive lasts laste
            dative laste lasten

            Descendants

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            Further reading

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            Norwegian Bokmål

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            Etymology 1

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            From Middle Low German last.

            Noun

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            last f or m (definite singular lasta or lasten, indefinite plural laster, definite plural lastene)

            1. a load or cargo
            Derived terms
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            Etymology 2

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            See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

            Verb

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            last

            1. imperative of laste

            References

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            Norwegian Nynorsk

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            Etymology

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            From Middle Low German last.

            Noun

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            last f or m (definite singular lasta or lasten, indefinite plural laster or lastar, definite plural lastene or lastane)

            1. a load or cargo

            Derived terms

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            References

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            Old English

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            Etymology

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            From Proto-West Germanic *laist, along with the feminine variant lǣst.

            Cognates

            Cognate with Middle Dutch leest (Dutch leest), Old High German leist (German Leist), Old Norse leistr (“foot, sock”) (Swedish läst, Danish læst).

            Pronunciation

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            Noun

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            lāst m (nominative plural lāstas)

            1. footstep, track
              • 10th century, The Wanderer:
                Stondeð nū on lāste · lēofre duguþe
                weal wundrum hēah, · wyrmlīcum fāh.
                Now a wall stands in the track of dear band,
                wondrously high, with worm-forms adorned.

            Declension

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            Strong a-stem:

            singular plural
            nominative lāst lāstas
            accusative lāst lāstas
            genitive lāstes lāsta
            dative lāste lāstum

            Derived terms

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            Slovene

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            Etymology

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            From Proto-Slavic *volstь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *walˀstís, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁-. First attested in the 16th century.

            Pronunciation

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            Noun

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            lȃst f

            1. property

            Declension

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            Unknown tone or non-tonal
            		 The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.
            Feminine, i-stem, long mixed accent
            nominative lást
            genitive lastí
            singular
            nominative
            (imenovȃlnik)             		lást
            genitive
            (rodȋlnik)             		lastí
            dative
            (dajȃlnik)             		lásti
            accusative
            (tožȋlnik)             		lást
            locative
            (mẹ̑stnik)             		lásti
            instrumental
            (orọ̑dnik)             		lastjó

            Further reading

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            • “last”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
            • “last”, in Termania, Amebis
            • See also the general references

            Swedish

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            Pronunciation

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            Etymology 1

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            From Middle Low German last, from the verb lāden (“to load”), from Old Saxon hladan.

            Noun

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            last c

            1. cargo
            2. load; a burden
            3. load; a certain amount that can be processed at one time
            4. (engineering) load; a force on a structure
            5. (electrical engineering) load; any component that draws current or power
            Declension
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            Declension of last
            nominative genitive
            singular indefinite last lasts
            definite lasten lastens
            plural indefinite laster lasters
            definite lasterna lasternas
            Derived terms
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            See also
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            Etymology 2

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            From Old Swedish laster (Old Icelandic lǫstr), from Old Norse löstr, from the root of Proto-Germanic *lahaną (“to reproach, blame”), see also Old High German lastar (“vice”).

            Noun

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            last c

            1. habit which is difficult to get rid of, vice
              Rökning var hans enda last
              Smoking was his only vice
            Declension
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            Declension of last
            nominative genitive
            singular indefinite last lasts
            definite lasten lastens
            plural indefinite laster lasters
            definite lasterna lasternas
            Derived terms
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            Anagrams

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