last word

/læst wərd/

Other forms: last words

If someone has the ultimate authority on a topic or decision, you can say they have the last word. Even if your teacher listens to student input on which topics she'll cover, she still has the last word

There are several ways to have the last word. Coming up with the final remark in an argument gives you the last word. Being an expert in a particular in a field can also give you the last word: "She was the director of the state health department, so I consider her the last word on vaccines." And informally, something that's stylish can also be described this way: "Those pink patent leather boots are the last word in spring fashion!"

Definitions of last word

1. noun

   an authoritative statement
   “my doctor has the last word on the medicines I take”

   type of:

   authority

   an authoritative written work
2. noun

   the final statement in a verbal argument
   “she always gets the last word”

   type of:

   argument, statement

   a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true
3. noun

   elegance by virtue of being fashionable
   synonyms: chic, chichi, chicness, modishness, smartness, stylishness, swank

   types:

   dapperness, jauntiness, nattiness, rakishness

   stylishness as evidenced by a smart appearance

   type of:

   elegance

   a refined quality of gracefulness and good taste