last resort

/læst rɪˈzɔrt/

/lɑst rɪˈzɔt/

Other forms: last resorts

The last resort is something you choose only after you've eliminated every other possibility. If every hotel and reception hall is booked, a couple may end up getting married in their own backyard as a last resort.

This phrase, which has been used in English since the 17th century, comes from a French legal term, en dernier ressort. This was a type of court or legal case that didn't allow appeals, but instead cast final, permanent decisions. Today we use last resort for things that are our last choice; you should try to reason with your neighbor about his barking dog, only calling the police as a last resort.

Definitions of last resort

1. noun

   an expedient adopted only in desperation
   synonyms: pis aller

   type of:

   expedient

   a means to an end; not necessarily a principled or ethical one