MEANING
The final problem in a series that makes someone unwilling or unable to tolerate the situation any longer.
Use it for
describing a final trigger after accumulated frustration; explaining why one more problem causes a strong reaction; distinguishing a last aggravation from the whole cause; showing someone reaching the limit of their toleranceIdentifies the final aggravation in an accumulated series, rather than treating it as the only cause of a reaction. Writing functions: Consequences / Final trigger. Semantic categories (by meaning): Consequences / Final trigger. Contexts: General conversation; Creative prose.
Words that belong together
- be the last straw
- prove the final straw
On the page
The pay cut was serious, but the broken promise about leave was the last straw.
Another cancelled train became the final straw after months of unreliable service.
Word forms
- Base
- the last straw
Usage notes
Noun idiom: the last straw; also the final straw or the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The established phrase is normally singular. Register: neutral. Commonness: common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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