last

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++last1 /lɑːst $ læst/ ●●● S1 W1 determiner, adjective  1  BEFOREmost recent or nearest to the present time 最近的，最近一段时间的，最近一次的 → next(12) I hadn’t seen him since the last meeting. 自从上次会面后，我再没有见到他。last night/week/year etc Did you see the game on TV last night? 昨晚你看电视播出的比赛了没有？ The law was passed last August. 这项法律是去年8月份通过的。 Interest in golf has grown rapidly in the last ten years. 在过去十年里，人们对高尔夫球的兴趣一下子浓厚起来。 Things have changed since the last time (=the most recent occasion) you were here. 你上次来这里之后，情况已经变了。2  LASThappening or existing at the end, with no others after 最后的 OPP first I didn’t read the last chapter of the book. 我没有看这本书的最后一章。 The next meeting will be held in the last week in June. 下次会议将于6月的最后一个星期举行。the last person/thing etc to do something Anna was the last person to see him alive. 安娜是最后一个见到他还活着的人。last but one/two etc (=last except for one other, two others etc) 倒数第二/第三等 on the last but one day of his trial 他受审前的倒数第二天second/next to last (=last except for one other) 倒数第二 the second to last paragraph 倒数第二段3  REMAIN/BE LEFTremaining after all others have gone, been used etc 最后剩下的 Can I have the last piece of cake? 我把最后一块蛋糕吃了可以吗？every last (=used to emphasize that you mean all of something) 每一个 All the money was gone; every last penny of it. 所有的钱都花完了，一分都没剩。4  the last minute/moment the latest possible time before something happens 最后一刻 Travelers will find it hard to get a hotel room at the last minute. 旅游者会发现很难在最后一刻订到房间。 He never makes a decision until almost the last moment. 他从来都是等到差不多最后一刻才作决定。5  the last person/thing EXPECTused to make a strong negative statement about someone or something 最不可能的人/事物；最不想要的人/事物；最不适当的人/事物 She’s the last person I’d expect to meet in a disco (=I would not expect to meet her in a disco at all). 我怎么也想不到会在迪斯科舞厅遇到她。 Money was the last thing I cared about right now. 目前，钱对我来说是最无所谓的。the last thing somebody needs/wants The last thing she needed was for me to start crying too. 她最不希望看到我也哭。6  be the last straw to be the final thing in a series of annoying things that makes someone very angry 成为使人不堪忍受的最后一件事 He’d broken his promise again, and it was the last straw. 他又一次食言，这让人再也无法忍受下去了。7  last thing (at night) LATEat the very end of the day 在一天末了 Take a couple of these pills last thing at night to help you sleep. 晚上睡前吃几颗这种药丸帮助睡眠。8  on your last legs informal a) TIREDvery tired 很疲倦的 Sarah looks as if she’s on her last legs. 萨拉看上去似乎很疲惫。 b) ILLvery ill and likely to die soon 病危的9  on its last legs informalCONDITION/STATE OF something old or in bad condition, and likely to stop working soon 老化的；糟透的 The car’s on its last legs. 这辆车已经旧得不能用了。10  be the last word in something BESTto be the best, most modern, or most comfortable example of something 在某方面是最好[现代，舒适]的 It’s the last word in luxury holidays. 这是最豪华的度假了。 → last resort at resort1(2), → with your last/dying breath at breath(9), → last hurrah, → have the last laugh at laugh2(6), → the last/final word at word1(15) THESAURUSthe one before this one 上一个[次]last most recent or nearest to the present time 最近一次的，最近一段时间的His last film was much better. 他的上一部电影要好得多。It rained all day last Saturday. 上星期六下了一整天的雨。The last time I saw her was two years ago. 我上一次见到她是在两年前。previous [only before noun] before this one, or before the one that you are talking about 以前的，先前的See the diagram in the previous chapter. 参见上一章的示意图。His previous records had all been jazz records. 他之前的唱片都是爵士乐。How much were you earning in your previous job? 你上一份工作能挣多少钱？former [only before noun] formal existing or having a particular position in the past, but not now 从前的，昔日的the former Soviet Union 前苏联the former US president 美国前总统Interest rates are unlikely to return to their former level. 利率不太可能回到先前的水平。nthe former Chief Executiveold [only before noun] used about a person or thing that existed in the past, but has been replaced by a newer one 以前的，过去的〔已被替代的〕an old boyfriend 以前的男友The old model was much slower. 旧型号要慢得多。the one that comes at the end 最后的last [only before noun] happening or existing at the end, with no others after 最后的What time does the last train leave? 最后一班列车几点发车？Our house is the last one on the right. 我们家的房子是右面最后一幢。final [only before noun] last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc 最后的，最终的It’s the final game of the championship tomorrow. 明天是本届锦标赛的决赛。the final scene of the film 那部电影最后的场景closing [only before noun] used about the last part of a long period of time, or of an event, book etc that has been exciting or interesting 结尾的，结束的the closing years of the twentieth century 世纪最后几年Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing minutes of the game. 巴恩斯在比赛结束前几分钟攻入制胜一球。concluding [only before noun] used about the last part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event, that ends it in a definite way 结束的，最后的the concluding section of the report 报告的结束部分the judge’s concluding remarks 法官的结语penultimate /peˈnʌltəmət, pə-/ [only before noun] the one before the last one 倒数第二的the penultimate chapter 倒数第二章

Examples from the Corpus

last night/week/year etc• Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., died in the final days of the GOP-led Congress last year.• The 2000 Census said the country had 281 million people last year.• The export of motor cars in the past nine months is 90 percent. higher than last year.• McDougal was convicted of Whitewater-related fraud charges last year, along with his former wife and the governor of Arkansas.• He was only told of the burglary last night as he visited his sister, Anne Marie, in Hoddesdon, Herts.• But for the last week or two he's had to use a bigger bag.• We will restore last year's training cuts which caused so much damage to training for young people and the unemployed.• The 73-year-old Republican standard-bearer took time out of his busy campaign schedule last week to search for those roots.the last person/thing etc to do something• He should have been the last person to be killed.• As Nina said, the last thing to do ever was to touch lacquer directly.• What's the last thing to go through a fly's mind when it hits the front of your car?• Which made her the last person to know how to handle this evening's adventure.• And the last person to know the full history would be Jenny herself.• I would be the last person to say that it was all your fault.• And you were the last person to see her.• Kris Johnson will be the last person to wear Marques' No. 54.every last• Saw how he grasped every last detail of it and held that knowledge tight in his memory.• What with the onions and the heat, every last drop of moisture's gone from me.• She is adept at eating every last morsel she is served.• And we hit every last one of them.• The only sure way was to pick out all the eggs by hand, every last one of them.• Her arms crept around his waist and every last scrap of fight and anger drained fluidly from her body.• Erasing every last trace of the Project.last2 ●●● S1 W1 adverb  1  BEFOREmost recently before now 最近，上次 → next When I last saw her, she was working in New York. 我上次见到她时，她正在纽约工作。n GrammarChoosing the right tenseLast is used with the simple past: I last saw her in 2008. ✗Don’t say: I have last seen her in 2008.Word order• Last usually comes before a main verb: I last went to London in June.• Last comes after ‘be’ when it is the main verb: I was last in London in June.• Last comes after the first auxiliary: When did you last hear from Tara?2  LASTafter everything or everyone else 最后 OPP first Who is speaking last? 谁最后一个发言？ Add the flour last. 最后加面粉。last of all (=used when giving a final point or piece of information) 最后〔用于总结〕 Last of all, I’d like to thank everyone for coming. 最后，我要感谢各位的光临。3  last but not least LASTused when mentioning the last person or thing in a list, to emphasize that they are still important 最后但同样重要的(一点) Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new secretary. 最后但同样重要的一件事，让我来介绍我们的新秘书简。

Examples from the Corpus

last• Connect the red wires first and the black ones last.• I'm saving that chocolate for last.• I do all our dishes, and leave the dog's dish till last.• I was told I'll be speaking last.• The teacher called out my name last.• Josie came out of the school almost last.• Oakland and the New York Mets last did it in 1973.• Isetan shares were last offered at 1,620 yen, down 1. 8 percent from its closing price yesterday.• Yet there was a change in his lad since he had last seen him.• When I saw her last, she was pregnant.• Despite experiencing tiredness and illness at times, she can't remember when she last took time off work.last of all• Tragically, it could well be the last of all.• And last of all he knew she believed herself capable of murder.• She totters forward, in she goes Head first, and last of all her toes.• Last of all, I'd like to say that everyone has done a wonderful job.• Sarah, left alone, had the dubious distinction of being the last of all the Titfords in Frome.• But last of all, who governs Parliament?last3 ●●● S1 W1 noun, pronoun  1  the last LASTthe person or thing that comes after all the others 最后的人[事物] OPP first I think this box is the last. 我想这箱子是最后一个。the last to do something He was the first to arrive and the last to leave. 他到得最早，走得最晚。2  at (long) last EVENTUALLYif something happens at last, it happens after you have been hoping, waiting, or working for it a long time 最终，终于 At last it was time to leave. 终于到了要走的时候。 We reached the summit at last. 我们终于到达了山顶。3  the day/week/year etc before last BEFOREthe day, week etc before the one that has just finished 前天/上上周/前年等 I sent the letter off the week before last. 我是上上个星期把信寄出的。4  the last of something REMAIN/BE LEFTthe remaining parts of something 最后剩下的某物 John ate the last of the bread at lunchtime. 午饭的时候，约翰把最后一点面包吃掉了。5  somebody hasn’t heard the last of somebody/something FINISH/COME TO AN ENDif you have not heard the last of someone or something, they may return and cause problems for you in the future 某人/某事还未了结 We haven’t heard the last of football violence. 足球暴力事件还会发生。6  somebody will never hear the last of something if you will never hear the last of something, someone will be angry with you about it for a long time 某人会被某事没完没了地纠缠 If my mother sees me, I’ll never hear the last of this. 我妈妈要是看到我，肯定和我没完。7  the last I heard spokenRECENTLY used to tell someone the most recent news that you know about a person or situation 我最近听到的消息 The last I heard, she was at college studying law. 我最近听到的消息是她在大学里攻读法律。8  to the last formalEND until the end of an event or the end of someone’s life 直到终了；至死 He died in 1987, insisting to the last he was innocent. 他1987年去世，至死都坚称自己是清白的。

Examples from the Corpus

last• She had been last noticed at the wheel of the car when the Josephs arrived there.• Each one was hurrying to avoid being last.• At a press conference, Wiltshire Police revealed that Mrs Campbell had last been seen alive a week ago.• It's good to see their interests being looked after at long last.• Only the leaders were mounted, and even that would not last long, although there were horse-boys behind with replacements.• But I figured the jeans wouldn't last long.• Mr Evan's rages were noisy while they lasted but they didn't last long.• It was last to start and at this rate, will probably be last to finish.last4 ●●● S1 W2 verb  1  [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive]LAST FOR A PERIOD OF TIME to continue for a particular length of time (使)持续last for/until/through etc The hot weather lasted for the whole month of June. 六月份炎热的天气持续了整整一个月。last an hour/ten minutes etc Each lesson lasts an hour. 每堂课上一小时。 The ceasefire didn’t last long. 停火没能持续多久。► see thesaurus at continue2  [intransitive, transitive]CONTINUE/NOT STOP to continue to exist, be effective, or remain in good condition for a long time (使)继续存在，(使)保持良好状态 This good weather won’t last. 这种好天气不会持续很久。last (somebody) two days/three weeks etc A good coat will last you ten years. 一件好外套你可以穿上十年。 Cut flowers will last longer if you put flower food in the water. 在水里加花肥，剪下的鲜花可以养更长时间。3  [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] (also last out (something) British English)SURVIVE to manage to remain in the same situation, even when this is difficult 尽力维持原状 They won’t be able to last much longer without fresh supplies. 没有新的补给，他们维持不了多久。 If you go into the job with that attitude, you won’t last long. 如果你带着那种态度去工作，是干不长久的。 She feared she might not be able to last out the afternoon in court without fainting. 她担心自己无法在法庭上坚持一个下午不晕倒。4  [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition]ENOUGH to be enough for someone for a period of time 足够〔某人〕使用[维持] SYN dolast (somebody) for/until/to etc The batteries should last for 20 hours playing time. 电池应该足够你玩20小时的。 We only had $50 to last us the rest of the month. 我们只剩下50美元，得撑过这个月。→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

last• Phase 1 started in July 1980 and lasted 3 years, during which 2.5 million households were visited.• It's not certain how long the ceasefire will last.• Mexico achieved a remarkable 8% annual growth rate, but the new prosperity did not last.• Ours was a happy marriage, but I always feared it wouldn't last.• Of course it would not last.• Cheap saucepans can't really be expected to last.• rainstorms lasting all night long• He knew they only had enough food to last another three days.• Her operation lasted around three hours.• Helpers approaching have sometimes been bitten or attacked wildly in the delirium that follows and which may last as long as twelve tormented hours.• Each consultation can last between 10 minutes and half an hour.• Most batteries last for about 8 hours.• The attack usually lasts for several minutes but can go on much longer.• I wanted the weekend to last forever.• Analysts are confident the downturn in share prices will not last long.• Some wine-makers will tell you that a cask lasts only for four years.• It's amazing how long this car has lasted, really.• His breathing was getting worse and he was not expected to last the night.• It's amazing that she's managed to last this long, really.• Within himself, however, it felt as though his stay had lasted three or four hours at most.• Bedworth's trial, expected to last three weeks, continues.• I still have $100, but that won't last until the end of the vacation.• It's the worst cold I've ever had, but luckily it didn't last very long.• It's hard to say how much longer the astronauts will last without fresh supplies.• $400 won't last you long in Chicago.• A can of baby formula costing $6.00 will last you three to four days.last for/until/through etc• There are also professionally-applied textured coatings which are sprayed on, and should last for 10 years or more.• Like any other book, its popularity will last for a moment, but it will remain on the shelves.• The first period lasts until age 7 or 8.• Something that will last for future generations.• As the project will last for so many years, temporary improvements are constantly being made to the estate.• I had embarked on a life-time career that I expected would last for the following forty years.

Related topics: Tools

last5 noun [countable]  DCCTZa piece of wood or metal shaped like a human foot, used by someone who makes and repairs shoes 鞋楦

Examples from the Corpus

last• It's good to see their interests being looked after at long last.• It was last to start and at this rate, will probably be last to finish.Origin last4 Old English læstan “to last, follow” last5 Old English læste, from last “footmark”

last1 determiner →THESAURUS1last2 adverb →n GRAMMAR1last3 nounlast4 verblast5 nounLDOCE OnlineChinese  

to most or the time nearest recent present Corpus

last

I

last¹ S1 W1 /lɑːst $ læst/ determiner, adjective
1. most recent or nearest to the present time ⇨ next(12):
    I hadn’t seen him since the last meeting.
    last night/week/year etc
    Did you see the game on TV last night?
    The law was passed last August.
    Interest in golf has grown rapidly in the last ten years.
    Things have changed since the last time (=the most recent occasion) you were here.
2. happening or existing at the end, with no others after
   OPP  first:
    I didn’t read the last chapter of the book.
    The next meeting will be held in the last week in June.
    the last person/thing etc to do something
    Anna was the last person to see him alive.
    last but one/two etc (=last except for one other, two others etc)
    on the last but one day of his trial
    second/next to last (=last except for one other)
    the second to last paragraph
3. remaining after all others have gone, been used etc:
    Can I have the last piece of cake?
    every last (=used to emphasize that you mean all of something)
    All the money was gone; every last penny of it.
4. the last minute/moment the latest possible time before something happens:
    Travelers will find it hard to get a hotel room at the last minute.
    He never makes a decision until almost the last moment.
5. the last person/thing used to make a strong negative statement about someone or something:
    She’s the last person I’d expect to meet in a disco (=I would not expect to meet her in a disco at all).
    Money was the last thing I cared about right now.
    the last thing somebody needs/wants
    The last thing she needed was for me to start crying too.
6. be the last straw to be the final thing in a series of annoying things that makes someone very angry:
    He’d broken his promise again, and it was the last straw.
7. last thing (at night) at the very end of the day:
    Take a couple of these pills last thing at night to help you sleep.
8. on your last legs informal
  a. very tired:
    Sarah looks as if she’s on her last legs.
  b. very ill and likely to die soon
9. on its last legs informal old or in bad condition, and likely to stop working soon:
    The car’s on its last legs.
10. be the last word in something to be the best, most modern, or most comfortable example of something:
    It’s the last word in luxury holidays.
⇨ last resort at resort¹(2), ⇨ with your last/dying breath at breath(9), ⇨ last hurrah, ⇨ have the last laugh at laugh²(6), ⇨ the last/final word at word¹(14)
     

THESAURUS

■ the one before this one
   ▪ last most recent or nearest to the present time: His last film was much better. | It rained all day last Saturday. | The last time I saw her was two years ago.
   ▪ previous before this one, or before the one that you are talking about: See the diagram in the previous chapter. | His previous records had all been jazz records. | How much were you earning in your previous job?
   ▪ former [only before noun] formal existing or having a particular position in the past, but not now: the former Soviet Union | the former US president | Interest rates are unlikely to return to their former level. | the former Chief Executive
   ▪ old [only before noun] used about a person or thing that existed in the past, but has been replaced by a newer one: an old boyfriend | The old model was much slower.
■ the one that comes at the end
   ▪ last [only before noun] happening or existing at the end, with no others after: What time does the last train leave? | Our house is the last one on the right.
   ▪ final [only before noun] last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc: It’s the final game of the championship tomorrow. | the final scene of the film
   ▪ closing [only before noun] used about the last part of a long period of time, or of an event, book etc that has been exciting or interesting: the closing years of the twentieth century | Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing minutes of the game.
   ▪ concluding [only before noun] used about the last part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event, that ends it in a definite way: the concluding section of the report | the judge’s concluding remarks
   ▪ penultimate /peˈnʌltəmət, peˈnʌltɪmət, pə-/ [only before noun] the one before the last one: the penultimate chapter

II

last² S1 W1 adverb
1. most recently before now ⇨ next:
    When I last saw her, she was working in New York.
2. after everything or everyone else
   OPP  first:
    Who is speaking last?
    Add the flour last.
    last of all (=used when giving a final point or piece of information)
    Last of all, I’d like to thank everyone for coming.
3. last but not least used when mentioning the last person or thing in a list, to emphasize that they are still important:
    Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new secretary.

III

last³ S1 W1 noun, pronoun
1. the last the person or thing that comes after all the others
   OPP  first:
    I think this box is the last.
    the last to do something
    He was the first to arrive and the last to leave.
2. at (long) last if something happens at last, it happens after you have been hoping, waiting, or working for it a long time:
    At last it was time to leave.
    We reached the summit at last.
3. the day/week/year etc before last the day, week etc before the one that has just finished:
    I sent the letter off the week before last.
4. the last of something the remaining parts of something:
    John ate the last of the bread at lunchtime.
5. somebody hasn’t heard the last of somebody/something if you have not heard the last of someone or something, they may return and cause problems for you in the future:
    We haven’t heard the last of football violence.
6. somebody will never hear the last of something if you will never hear the last of something, someone will be angry with you about it for a long time:
    If my mother sees me, I’ll never hear the last of this.
7. the last I heard spoken used to tell someone the most recent news that you know about a person or situation:
    The last I heard, she was at college studying law.
8. to the last formal until the end of an event or the end of someone’s life:
    He died in 1987, insisting to the last he was innocent.

IV

last⁴ S1 W2 verb1. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] to continue for a particular length of time
    last for/until/through etc
    The hot weather lasted for the whole month of June.
    last an hour/ten minutes etc
    Each lesson lasts an hour.
    The ceasefire didn’t last long.
2. [intransitive and transitive] to continue to exist, be effective, or remain in good condition for a long time:
    This good weather won’t last.
    last (somebody) two days/three weeks etc
    A good coat will last you ten years.
    Cut flowers will last longer if you put flower food in the water.
3. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] (also last out (something) British English) to manage to remain in the same situation, even when this is difficult:
    They won’t be able to last much longer without fresh supplies.
    If you go into the job with that attitude, you won’t last long.
    She feared she might not be able to last out the afternoon in court without fainting.
4. [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to be enough for someone for a period of time
   SYN  do
    last (somebody) for/until/to etc
    The batteries should last for 20 hours playing time.
    We only had $50 to last us the rest of the month.
     

THESAURUS

■ to continue to happen
   ▪ continue to happen without stopping: The good weather seems likely to continue. | Unless there are serious negotiations, the fighting will continue. | Some people have lost work, and this will continue to happen until the computer system is fixed. | The review process is expected to continue for several weeks.
   ▪ last to continue – use this to say how long something continues for: I know my good luck won’t last forever. | It’s not certain how long the ceasefire will last. | The trial lasted for six days. | The meeting lasted until lunchtime. | The training period lasted from July 2 to August 25.
   ▪ go on to continue, especially for a long time: Disputes between neighbours can go on for years.
   ▪ carry on British English to continue, especially when there are problems: The game carried on despite the injury of two players.
   ▪ drag on to continue for much longer than necessary or for longer than you want: The meeting dragged on for another hour. | The talks dragged on, with no apparent hope of achieving a peaceful solution.
   ▪ persist formal if something bad persists, it continues to exist or happen: See your doctor if the symptoms persist. | If adverse weather conditions persist, the game will be cancelled.

V

last⁵ noun [countable]a piece of wood or metal shaped like a human foot, used by someone who makes and repairs shoes