What does "last" mean?
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.
Last
/lɑːst/ adj, adv, det, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, det, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: 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.
- Grammar: last is listed as adj, adv, det, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: endure, survive, abide, abiding.
- Useful contrasts: front, earliest date, fiftieth.
- Usage evidence: The last person I told my idea to thought I was nuts.
How to use "last"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "last" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "last" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "last" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "last" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "last" is acting as adj, adv, det, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "endure" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "last", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 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.
"I muſt to the learned to learne of them, that's as much to ſay, as the Taylor muſt meddle vvith his Laſte, the Shoomaker vvith his needle, the Painter vvith his nets, and the Fiſher vvith his Penſill, I muſt to the learned."
- 2 A burden; load; a cargo; freight. obsolete
- 3 a person's dying act; the final thing a person can do wordnet
- 4 A measure of weight or quantity, varying in designation depending on the goods concerned. obsolete
"Now we so quietly followed our businesse, that in three moneths wee made three or foure Last of Tarre, Pitch, and Sope ashes [...]."
- 5 holding device shaped like a human foot that is used to fashion or repair shoes wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 An old English (and Dutch) measure of the carrying capacity of a ship, equal to two tons. obsolete
"1942 (1601), T D Mutch, The First Discovery of Australia, page 14, The tonnage of the Duyfken of Harmensz's fleet is given as 25 and 30 lasten."
- 7 the final stage or concluding parts of an event or occurrence wordnet
- 8 A load of some commodity with reference to its weight and commercial value.
- 9 a unit of capacity for grain equal to 80 bushels wordnet
- 10 a unit of weight equal to 4,000 pounds wordnet
- 11 the last or lowest in an ordering or series wordnet
- 12 the time at which life ends; continuing until dead wordnet
- 13 the temporal end; the concluding time wordnet
Verb
- 1 To endure, continue over time. intransitive
"Summer seems to last longer each year."
- 2 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 sense 1). transitive
"to last a boot"
- 3 continue to live and avoid dying wordnet
- 4 To hold out, continue undefeated or entire. intransitive
"I don't know how much longer we can last without reinforcements."
- 5 persist for a specified period of time wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To purposefully refrain from orgasm intransitive, slang
- 7 To perform, carry out. obsolete, transitive
Adjective
- 1 Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its kind. not-comparable
"Will try to fix it by myself for now: as a last resort, we can always take it to a grease monkey."
- 2 Most recent, latest, last so far. not-comparable
"The last time I saw him, he was married."
- 3 Farthest of all from a given quality, character, or condition; most unlikely, or least preferable. not-comparable
"He is the last person to be accused of theft."
- 4 Being the only one remaining of its class. not-comparable
"Japan is the last empire."
- 5 Supreme; highest in degree; utmost. not-comparable
"Contending for principles of the last importance."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Lowest in rank or degree. not-comparable
"Three contestants will win awards, but the last prize is just a book voucher."
Adjective
- 1 occurring at the time of death wordnet
- 2 lowest in rank or importance wordnet
- 3 not to be altered or undone wordnet
- 4 occurring at or forming an end or termination wordnet
- 5 coming after all others in time or space or degree or being the only one remaining wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 highest in extent or degree wordnet
- 7 most unlikely or unsuitable wordnet
- 8 conclusive in a process or progression wordnet
- 9 immediately past wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Most recently. not-comparable
"When we last met, he was based in Toronto."
- 2 after everything else; finally not-comparable, sequence
"As I arrived last of all, I'll go last to add the butter last."
Adverb
- 1 most recently wordnet
- 2 the item at the end wordnet
Determiner
- 1 The (one) immediately before the present.
"We went there last year."
- 2 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."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"The last person I told my idea to thought I was nuts."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "last"?
Common synonyms include: endure, survive, abide, abiding, advance, aforegoing.
How do you use "last" in a sentence?
The last person I told my idea to thought I was nuts.
How do you pronounce "last"?
Pronounced /lɑːst/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English laste, latst, syncopated variant of latest.
Etymology 2
From Middle English lasten, from Old English lǣstan, from Proto-West Germanic *laistijan, from Proto-Germanic *laistijaną. Cognate with German leisten (“yield”).
Etymology 3
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
Etymology 4
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 5
Various origins: * English metonymic occupational surname for a cobbler, from last (“a tool for shaping shoes”). Compare Laster. * Also as an English surname, from the adjective last. * Borrowed from Dutch and German Last, an occupational surname for a porter (see the German entry below).