at last

last ¹  (lst)

adj.

1. Being, coming, or placed after all others; final: the last game of the season.

2. Being the only one left: his last nickel; as a last resort.

3. Just past; most recent: last year; the last time I checked.

4. Most up-to-date; newest: the last thing in swimwear.

5. Highest in extent or degree; utmost: to the last measure of human endurance.

6. Most valid, authoritative, or conclusive: The arbiter will have the last say in resolving this dispute.

7.

a. Least likely or expected: the last person we would have suspected.

b. The least desirable or suitable: the last man for the job.

8. Being the latest possible: waited until the last second before boarding the train.

9. Lowest in rank or importance: last prize; last place.

10. Used as an intensive: Every last dollar was donated to charity.

11.

a. Of or relating to a terminal period or stage, as of life: the last days of the dinosaurs.

b. Administered just before death: the last sacraments.

adv.

1. After all others in chronology or sequence: arrived last.

2. Most recently: a fashion last popular in the 1940s.

3. At the end; finally: Add the butter last.

n.

1. One that is at the end or last: the last to be chosen; on every page but the last.

2. The end: held out until the last.

3. The final mention or appearance: haven't seen the last of our troubles.

Idioms:

at last

After a considerable length of time; finally.

at long last

After a lengthy or troublesome wait or delay: At long last the winter was over.

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[Middle English, from Old English latost, superlative of læt, late; see l- in Indo-European roots.]

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lastly adv.

Synonyms: last¹, final, terminal, ultimate
These adjectives mean coming after all others in chronology or sequence. Last applies to what comes at the end of a series: the last day of the month.
Something final stresses the definitiveness and decisiveness of the conclusion: "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality" (Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Terminal applies to what marks or forms a limit or boundary, as in space, time, or development: The railroad chose as its terminal city a town with a large harbor.
Ultimate applies to what concludes a series, process, or progression, to what constitutes a final result or objective, and to what is most distant or remote, as in time: the ultimate sonata of that opus; our ultimate goal; the ultimate effect.

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last ²  (lst)

v. last·ed, last·ing, lasts

v.intr.

1.

a. To continue in time; go on: The war lasted four years.

b. To continue; survive: The patient is not expected to last much longer.

2.

a. To remain in good or usable condition: Produce lasts longer if it is refrigerated. I wanted a car that would last.

b. To continue in force or practice: wondered if the marriage would last.

3. To remain in adequate supply: Will our water last?

v.tr.

1. To keep adequately supplied: left enough bread to last the family for the weekend.

2. To persist or endure for the entire length of; survive: hoped to last the season without injuring her leg again.

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[Middle English lasten, from Old English lstan; see leis-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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last ³  (lst)

n.

A block or form shaped like a human foot and used in making or repairing shoes.

tr.v. last·ed, last·ing, lasts

To mold or shape on a last.

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[Middle English leste, laste, from Old English lste, from lst, lst, sole of the foot; see leis-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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last ⁴  (lst)

n. Chiefly British

A unit of volume or weight varying for different commodities and in different districts, equal to about 80 bushels, 640 gallons, or 2 tons.

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[Middle English, load, a kind of measure, from Old English hlæst, load.]

Thesaurus

Adv.

1.

at last - as the end result of a succession or process; "ultimately he had to give in"; "at long last the winter was over" at long last, ultimately, finally, in the end