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Definition of "last-ditch" []

  • Done or made as a final recourse, especially to prevent a crisis or disaster: a last-ditch effort to avert the threatened strike. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "last-ditch" in a sentence
  • "Workers have been pouring a mixture of seawater and boron into the No. 1 and No. 3 reactors in what experts have called a last-ditch attempt to prevent a meltdown -- a catastrophic failure of the reactor core, with a potential for widespread radiation release."
  • "In what experts called a last-ditch "nuclear option," the Swiss National Bank set a ceiling Tuesday on the value of its currency, which has skyrocketed as traders worldwide frantically search for a safe haven in volatile times."
  • "The central bank is exercising what many analysts in recent weeks had called the last-ditch nuclear option'' because of the uncertain effects and risks to the strong Swiss economy."
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