last minute

noun

Definition of last minutenext
as in crisis
the last possible time when something can be done You shouldn't wait until the last minute before planning your retirement. They were making changes to the show right up to the last minute.

Related Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for last minute
  1. crisis
  2. emergency
  3. extremity
  4. possibility
  5. climax
  6. eleventh hour
  7. milestone
  8. zero hour
Noun
  • Since Starmer's political crisis began brewing in early May, the pound has fallen nearly 3% cumulative against the dollar.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The show is, in a way, the chronicle of Billie’s quarter-life crisis.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of crisis
Noun
  • Some soldiers distinguished themselves by helping to render emergency trauma response and first aid to civilians, earning individual service commendations, according to the Arkansas National Guard.
    — Neal Earley, Arkansas Online, 29 Aug. 2026
  • His newsrooms, including the Kathmandu Post, have deployed all their assets to cover the tragedy, and to provide Nepalis with clear, accurate information on emergency relief, river monitoring, and other immediate needs.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of emergency
Noun
  • Points were awarded for eyes, nose, mouth, facial expression, hair, torso, extremities, and overall gracefulness.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • That allows doctors to evaluate a person’s balance, mobility and lower extremity strength all at once.
    — Devi Shastri, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of extremity
Noun
  • There are enough winnable games on the schedule that 6-6 with a bowl berth is a real possibility.
    — Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The possibility of such a sideways optical force had already been predicted theoretically.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of possibility
Noun
  • His frantic paranoia makes the scene genuinely hard to read and sets the stage for his horrifying actions during the climax.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Ross doesn’t tend towards punch-the-air climaxes—just warm, excitable builds.
    — Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of climax
Noun
  • Getting to public company standards at the eleventh hour is no longer enough.
    — Brian Waller, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Hayes knows, in soccer, anything can happen; an injury could sideline any team’s biggest star at the eleventh hour.
    — Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of eleventh hour
Noun
  • But as this milestone and his injury last season reiterate, this is temporary and precarious.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to these milestones, this will be the ninth overall launch by the Ariane 6 program, which was developed by the European Space Agency and is now operated by Arianespace.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of milestone
Noun
  • Nevertheless, this is an improvement on the zero hours that (many) men were doing 50 years ago.
    — Meg Walters, Glamour, 9 Nov. 2025
  • The King video marked the zero hour for new forms of activism using cameras.
    — Will Potter July 7, Literary Hub, 7 July 2025
Definition of zero hour
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

lastly
last minute
last minutes
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Cite this Entry

“Last minute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/last%20minute. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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