at the last gasp

At the last possible moment or opportunity. I know they've been squabbling for weeks, but I think they'll reach an agreement at the last gasp. We all thought that Molly wouldn't make it to the meeting, but she arrived at the last gasp. I can't believe they tied the game with that three-pointer at the last gasp!

See also: gasp, last

gasp at (someone or something)

To make a sharp or sudden inhale ("gasp") in surprise at someone or something. I gasped at my mom when she told me I wasn't allowed to go to the party. We all gasped at the news of Mary's pregnancy. I gasped at the wreckage left behind by the deadly car accident.

gasp for air

To gasp or pant heavily due to having difficulty breathing, as after strenuous activity or holding one's breath. Kelsey's head popped out of the water, and she started gasping for air. The kids sprinted up the steps and were gasping for air by the time they arrived on the fourth floor. Because the elevator's not working today, everyone who's shown up at my sixth-floor office has been gasping for air.

gasp for breath

To gasp or pant heavily due to having difficulty breathing, as after strenuous activity or holding one's breath. Kelsey's head popped out of the water, and she started gasping for breath. The kids sprinted up the steps and were gasping for breath by the time they arrived on the fourth floor. Because the elevator's not working today, everyone who's shown up at my sixth-floor office has been gasping for breath.

gasp out

To say something with difficulty or in a labored manner. A noun or pronoun can be used between "gasp" and "out." Luckily, the patient managed to gasp her symptoms out before collapsing. Kelsey's head popped out of the water, and she immediately gasped out, "How long was I under?" You don't have to gasp out your question right this second—you can catch your breath first.

last-gasp

Final, usually drastic or risky, with failure as the only alternative. The home team is mounting one last-gasp attempt in the final seconds of the game to try to force an overtime showdown. In a last-gasp effort to avoid a government shutdown, congress has pushed forward a new spending bill.

last-gasp effort

A final, usually drastic or risky attempt, with failure as the only alternative. The home team is mounting one last-gasp effort in the final seconds of the game to try to force an overtime showdown. In a last-gasp effort to avoid a government shutdown, Congress has pushed forward a new spending bill.

the last gasp of (something)

The final part before the end of something, such as a period, movement, etc. Some say we're seeing the last gasp of capitalism, but I think that view ignores a lot of factors.

the/(one's) last gasp

1. The final moment before one dies; the last period of one's life. Even though my grandfather's lungs were riddled with cancer and emphysema, he remained a smoker until his very last gasp. The soldiers of the kingdom vowed to defend it to the last gasp.

2. The last moment before a person or group ultimately fails or must give up. We might be down by 10 points, but we have to keep on fighting to the last gasp! Even as their stocks plummeted, the company maintained a public image of success right to their last gasp. Some say we're seeing capitalism's last gasp, but I think that view ignores a lot of factors.

3. One's or something's final attempt to succeed or else face failure, death, destruction, etc. The play was their last gasp to tie the game, but the quarterback fumbled the snap. Many see this latest video game console as the company's last gasp, especially following the disastrous flop of their last one.

See also: gasp, last

at the last gasp

Fig. at the very last; at the last chance; at the last minute. (Refers to someone's last breath before death.) She finally showed up at the last gasp, bringing the papers that were needed. We got there at the last gasp, just before our names were called.

See also: gasp, last

gasp at someone or something

to inhale sharply in surprise or shock at someone or something. I gasped at the sight that lay before me. I saw how weary Denise looked and I gasped at her.

gasp for air

to fight for a breath of air. (After one has been deprived of air.) Walter popped to the surface of the water and gasped for air. The injured dog appeared to be gasping for air.

gasp for breath

to labor for one's breath. (Usually because of physical exertion.) She ran and ran until she was gasping for breath. The diver finally came to the surface, gasping for breath.

gasp something out

to utter something, gasping. She gasped the words out haltingly. Dan was just able to gasp out the instructions before he passed out.

last gasp

The moment before death; also, the end. For example, "Fight till the last gasp" (Shakespeare, 1 Henry VI, 1:2), or He was determined to stay at the party until the last gasp. This idiom alludes to taking one's last breath, literally (first example) or figuratively (second example). [Late 1500s]

See also: gasp, last

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

the last gasp

COMMON The last gasp of a long process or period of time is the very last active stage of it. The summer of '92 may be looked upon with nostalgia as the last gasp of the live rock concert era. Eleven thousand years ago, at the last gasp of the ice age, the area was covered with forest. Note: You can also use last gasp before a noun to say that something is achieved at the last possible moment. Dalziel watched his side snatch a last gasp victory with two late goals. Note: These phrases come from 2 Maccabes 7:9 in the Apocrypha of the Bible. Seven brothers and their mother were tortured by King Antiochus, and one of the brothers spoke out defiantly `when he was at his last gasp', or when he was dying.

See also: gasp, last

your (or the) last gasp

the point of death, exhaustion, or completion.

1996 Will Hutton The State We're In The failure of the 1994 rail strike was the last gasp of an old order.

See also: gasp, last

your/the last ˈgasp

the point at which you/something can no longer continue living, fighting, existing, etc: People are saying that the group’s latest actions are simply the last gasp of a dying campaign.

A gasp is a quick deep breath.

See also: gasp, last

last gasp, the

Nearing the end; on the point of death. The gasp here literally means one’s breath, but the term often is used loosely to mean either extremely tired (exhausted) or a final effort. In the first meaning the term appears in one of the Apocryphal books of the Bible (2 Maccabees 7:9) and in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part I, 1.2, where Joan of Arc tells Charles, “Fight till the last gasp; I will be your guard.”