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Meaning & use

as a last resort

phrase·Everyday

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UK/əz ə ˌlɑːst rɪˈzɔːt/
US/əz ə ˌlæst rɪˈzɔːrt/

Meaning

  1. phrasefixed phrase

    Used when you do something only after every other option has failed or been rejected.

    Grammar: Comes at the start or end of a clause: as a last resort, we will sell the house.

    Patterns

    • as a last resort, do something

    We will cancel the event only as a last resort.

    As a last resort, she called her old landlord.

    Strike action is considered as a last resort.

Common combinations

only as a last resort
Use force only as a last resort.
as a last resort, call
As a last resort, call the manager.
keep it as a last resort
Keep the savings as a last resort.
turn to something as a last resort
He turned to a loan as a last resort.

Synonyms and how they differ

if all else fails
If all else fails is more conversational and always refers to a future possibility.
when nothing else works
When nothing else works is a plain explanation and sounds less fixed.
in the final analysis
In the final analysis introduces a conclusion, not a final option.
in desperation
In desperation focuses on the feeling, while as a last resort stresses the order of choices.

Opposites

as a first choice

Word family

resort noun
something you turn to for help
resort to phrasal verb
to use something unwelcome because there is nothing else
last adjective
final in order

Commonly confused: as a last resort or in the last resort?

as a last resort vs in the last resort

In the last resort is an older, less common British variant.

Practice

We will sell the car only ___ ___ ___ .

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