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last straw

noun

the last of a succession of irritations, incidents, remarks, etc., that leads to a loss of patience, a disaster, etc.:
He has been late before, but this is the last straw.

last straw

noun

the last straw
the final irritation or problem that stretches one's endurance or patience beyond the limit

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Word History and Origins

Origin of last straw¹

First recorded in 1840–50; after the proverb “It is the last straw that breaks the camel's back”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of last straw¹

from the proverb, "It is the last straw that breaks the camel's back"

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

She says freezes to Medicare rebates – which were overseen by both parties between 2013 and 2017 and meant the payments didn't even keep up with inflation – were the last straw.

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It was the last straw for Carter politically - although he won the Democratic nomination, he was wiped out in the election by Ronald Reagan that year.

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"The combination of all these factors will be the last straw for some nurseries, which will result in more settings closing rather than expanding to meet expected demand."

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But no matter how Yoon chooses to play it, his botched martial law declaration may already be shaping up to be the last straw that breaks his shaky presidency.

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The last straw came about a week ago.

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