last

IV. last⁴ S1 W2 BrE AmE verb
[Language: Old English; Origin: læstan 'to last, follow']
1. [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.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

verb
1. intransitive (not used in the progressive tenses) to continue for a particular period of time
• The meeting only lasted (for) a few minutes.
• Each game lasts about an hour.

• How long does the play last?

2. intransitive, transitive to continue to exist or to function well
• This weather won't last.
• He's making a big effort now, and I hope it lasts.

• ~ sb These shoes should last you till next year.

3. intransitive, transitive to survive sth or manage to stay in the same situation, despite difficulties
• She won't last long in that job.
• ~ (out) Can you last (out) until I can get help?
• ~ (out) sth Doctors say that she probably won't last out the night (= she will probably die before the morning).

• He was injured early on and didn't last the match.

4. intransitive, transitive to be enough for sb to use, especially for a particular period of time
• ~ (out) Will the coffee last out till next week?
• ~ sb (out) We've got enough food to last us (for) three days.
Verb forms:

Thesaurus:
last verb I (not used in the progressive tenses)
• Each game lasts about an hour.
take • |especially written continue • |especially spoken go on • • keep on • |especially BrE, especially spoken carry on • |disapproving drag on •
last/continue/go on/keep on/carry on/drag on for hours/a week/two years, etc.
last/continue/go on/keep on/carry on/drag on until morning/next year, etc.
last/take a few minutes/an hour/all day/years, etc.
Which Word?:
last / take
Last and take are both used to talk about the length of time that something continues.
Last is used to talk about the length of time that an event continues: ▪ How long do you think this storm will last? ◊ ▪ The movie lasted over two hours. Last does not always need an expression of time: ▪ His annoyance won’t last. Last is also used to say that you have enough of something: ▪ We don’t have enough money to last until next month.
Take is used to talk about the amount of time you need in order to go somewhere or do something. It must be used with an expression of time: ▪ It takes (me) at least an hour to get home from work. ◊ ▪ How long will the flight take? ◊ ▪ The water took ages to boil.
Example Bank:
• Even when cut, the flowers last very well.
• Happiness never lasts.
• I always thought his popularity was unlikely to last.
• Interest rates are at their lowest level for a decade. I suggest you enjoy it while it lasts.
• Make the most of this feeling while it lasts.
• Nothing lasts forever.
• She hoped they had enough firewood to last through the night.
• The celebrations lasted well into the next week.
• The effort began in November and lasted through February.
• The flight seemed to last forever.
• The good weather couldn't last.
• The kids are all very enthusiastic, but it won't last— it never does.
• The storm could last quite a long time.
• The trial is expected to last until the end of the week.
• The war lasted for three years.
• This house was built to last.
• This type of happiness rarely lasts.
• With care, the vines will last indefinitely.
• Your car will last longer if you look after it.
• a bruise that was sure to last for days
• Each game lasts (for) about an hour.
• He's making a big effort now, and I hope it lasts.
• The meeting only lasted a few minutes.

• This weather won't last.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

last / lɑːst / / læst / verb [ I , L only + noun ]

B1 to continue to exist:

The meeting lasted two hours.

The drought lasted for several months.

They say the snow will last until the end of next week.

I can't see the ceasefire lasting.

They haven't had an argument for two weeks, but it's too good to last (= they'll have an argument soon) .

I doubt their enthusiasm will last.

He's working very efficiently at the moment, but it won't last.

C1 to continue being good or suitable:

There's no point buying something that isn't going to last.

The cheaper washing machines should last about five years.

This pen should last (you) a lifetime if you look after it.

Her previous secretary only lasted a month (= left after this period) .

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

last

[lɑ͟ːst, læ̱st]
♦
lasts, lasting, lasted
1) DET You use last in expressions such as last Friday, last night, and last year to refer, for example, to the most recent Friday, night, or year.
  I got married last July...
  He never made it home at all last night...
  Last month a shopkeeper's nephew was shot dead...
  It is not surprising they did so badly in last year's elections.
2) ADJ: det ADJ The last event, person, thing, or period of time is the most recent one.
  Much has changed since my last visit...
  At the last count inflation was 10.9 per cent...
  I split up with my last boyfriend three years ago...
  The last few weeks have been hectic.
PRON
Last is also a pronoun. The next tide, it was announced, would be even higher than the last.
3) ADV: ADV with v If something last happened on a particular occasion, that is the most recent occasion on which it happened.
  When were you there last?...
  The house is a little more dilapidated than when I last saw it...
  Hunting on the trust's 625,000 acres was last debated two years ago.
4) ORD The last thing, person, event, or period of time is the one that happens or comes after all the others of the same kind.
  This is his last chance as prime minister.
  ...the last three pages of the chapter...
  She said it was the very last house on the road...
  They didn't come last in their league.
  Ant:
  first
PRON
Last is also a pronoun. It wasn't the first time that this particular difference had divided them and it wouldn't be the last... The trickiest bits are the last on the list.
5) ADV: ADV after v If you do something last, you do it after everyone else does, or after you do everything else.
  I testified last...
  I was always picked last for the football team at school...
  The foreground, nearest the viewer, is painted last.
6) PRON: PRON to-inf If you are the last to do or know something, everyone else does or knows it before you.
  She was the last to go to bed...
  Riccardo and I are always the last to know what's going on.
7) ADJ: det ADJ Last is used to refer to the only thing, person, or part of something that remains.
  Jed nodded, finishing off the last piece of pizza.
  ...the freeing of the last hostage.
N-SING: the N of n
Last is also a noun. He finished off the last of the wine... The last of the ten inmates gave themselves up after twenty eight hours on the roof of the prison.
8) ADJ: det ADJ You use last before numbers to refer to a position that someone has reached in a competition after other competitors have been knocked out.
  Sampras reached the last four at Wimbledon.
  ...the only woman among the authors making it through to the last six.
9) ADJ: det ADJ (emphasis) You can use last to indicate that something is extremely undesirable or unlikely.
  The last thing I wanted to do was teach...
  He would be the last person who would do such a thing.
PRON: PRON to-inf
Last is also a pronoun. I would be the last to say that science has explained everything.
10) PRON: the PRON that The last you see of someone or the last you hear of them is the final time that you see them or talk to them.
  She disappeared shouting, `To the river, to the river!' And that was the last we saw of her...
  I had a feeling it would be the last I heard of him.
  Ant:
  first
11) VERB If an event, situation, or problem lasts for a particular length of time, it continues to exist or happen for that length of time.
  [V for n] The marriage had lasted for less than two years...
  [V n] The games lasted only half the normal time...
  Enjoy it because it won't last. [Also V adv]
12) VERB If something lasts for a particular length of time, it continues to be able to be used for that time, for example because there is some of it left or because it is in good enough condition.
  [V for n] You only need a very small blob of glue, so one tube lasts for ages...
  [V n] The repaired sail lasted less than 24 hours...
  [V adv] The implication is that this battery lasts twice as long as batteries made by other battery makers...
  [V adv] If you build more plastics into cars, the car lasts longer. [Also V]
13) VERB You can use last in expressions such as last the game, last the course, and last the week, to indicate that someone manages to take part in an event or situation right to the end, especially when this is very difficult for them.
  [V n] They wouldn't have lasted the full game...
  [V n] I almost lasted the two weeks. I only had a couple of days to do.
  Syn:
  get through
PHRASAL VERB
To last out means the same as to last. V P n (not pron) It'll be a miracle if the band lasts out the tour... V P A breakfast will be served to those who last out till dawn!
14) → See also lasting
15) PHRASE: PHR with cl If you say that something has happened at last or at long last you mean it has happened after you have been hoping for it for a long time.
  I'm so glad that we've found you at last!...
  Here, at long last, was the moment he had waited for...
  At last the train arrived in the station...
  `All right', he said at last. `You may go.'
  Syn:
  finally
16) PHRASE You use expressions such as the night before last, the election before last and the leader before last to refer to the period of time, event, or person that came immediately before the most recent one in a series.
  It was the dog he'd heard the night before last...
  In the budget before last a tax penalty on the mobile phone was introduced.
17) PHRASE: V inflects If someone breathes their last, they die. [LITERARY]
18) PHRASE: PHR n, PHR after v You can use phrases such as the last but one, the last but two, or the last but three, to refer to the thing or person that is, for example, one, two, or three before the final person or thing in a group or series.
  It's the last but one day in the athletics programme...
  The British team finished last but one.
19) PHRASE: PHR n (emphasis) You use every last to emphasize that you are talking about all the people or things in a group or all the parts of something.
  I'd spent all I had, every last penny...
  You'll never quite get rid of every last bit of grit...
  My tape recorder did not catch every last word.
20) PHRASE The expression last in, first out is used to say that the last person who started work in an organization should be the first person to leave it, if fewer people are needed.
  Workers will go on a `last in, first out' basis.
21) PHRASE: PHR with cl You can use expressions such as the last I heard and the last she heard to introduce a piece of information that is the most recent that you have on a particular subject.
  The last I heard, Joe and Irene were still happily married.
22) PHRASE: V inflects If you leave something or someone until last, you delay using, choosing, or dealing with them until you have used, chosen, or dealt with all the others.
  I have left my best wine until last...
  I picked first all the people who usually were left till last.
23) PHRASE: V inflects If you see the last of someone, you do not expect to see them or deal with them again.
  I honestly thought I'd seen the last of you.
24) PHRASE: PHR after v If you say that something goes on happening to the last, you mean that it happens throughout the whole of a book, film, or event.
  ...a highly readable political thriller with plenty of twists of plot to keep you guessing to the last.
25) PHRASE: group PHR (emphasis) If you say that someone is a particular kind of person to the last, you are emphasizing that they continue to be that kind of person.
  A gentleman to the last, he did not run, but merely attempted to stroll away...
  Armstrong was tall and handsome to the last.
26) PHRASE: PHR after v You use expressions such as to the last detail and to the last man to indicate that a plan, situation, or activity includes every single person, thing, or part involved.
  Every movement, no matter how casual and spontaneous, needs to be worked out to the last detail...
  Our troops are being used up to the last man.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹last /ˈlæst, Brit ˈlɑːst/ verb lasts; last·ed; last·ing
1 a [no obj] : to continue in time
• How long does the movie last?
• The movie lasts (for) about two hours. [=the movie is about two hours long]
• The conference starts on Monday and it lasts until Friday.
• The game lasted (for) three hours.
• Don't worry, the storm won't/can't last. [=the storm will end soon]
b [no obj] : to continue in good condition
• The car should last 10 years.
• I doubt that those boots will last (much longer).
• That bridge will last a long time.
• Our products are built to last.
c [no obj] : to continue to be available
• These oranges are on sale while they/supplies last. [=they are on sale until they have all been sold]
d : to continue to be enough for the needs of someone

[no obj]

• We have enough food to last (for) the rest of the week.

[+ obj]

• We have enough food to last us (for) the rest of the week.
• That car should last you ten years. [=you should not have to get another car for ten years]
2 [no obj]
a : to be able to continue in a particular situation or condition
• I am not sure he will last in his new job.
• Can you last a whole day without cigarettes?
b : to continue to live
• My father is very ill. He may not last much longer.
• He may not last (through) the night. [=he may die before the night has ended]
• (chiefly Brit) He may not last out the night.
last the distance
- see ¹distance