eleventh hour

Definitions

A point in time which is nearly too late; the last minute.

countable, idiomatic, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“If she repented, though at the eleventh hour, it was not too late.”

“Highly providential was the appearance on the scene of Corny Kelleher when Stephen was blissfully unconscious but for that man in the gap turning up at the eleventh hour the finish⟳ might have⟳ been that he might have⟳ been a candidate for the accident ward […]”

“I have⟳ extricated myself so far at many eleventh hours and perhaps there is some hope⟳ in this.”

“Egypt had managed to bring⟳ the two sides to the brink of a deal⟳ two weeks ago, before internal political dynamics prompted the Israelis to back out at the eleventh hour.”

“Thus, the famous title of the dictionary is, at base⟳, derogatory. This explains why Yule kept the title secret until the eleventh hour, why some contemporary reviewers took exception to the title, and why Yule highlighted Burnell’s approval of the title.”

CEFR level