eleventh hour
noun
: the latest possible time before it is too late
still making changes at the eleventh hour
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Alabama passed a bill at the eleventh hour requiring students to use bathrooms that correspond with their gender assigned at birth and enacted education policies similar to Florida’s. 
Emma Hinchliffe And Paige Mcglauflin, Fortune, 6 July 2022 Kiyoko is met with a revolving door of potential suitors trying to make their mark before Tilley, 33, makes an eleventh hour limo entrance, exchanging a knowing smile with Kiyoko. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 20 May 2022 Despite his eleventh hour volte-face, Meadows might well have already delivered the probe new information of interest in the form of 6,000 pages of documents. Gregory Krieg, CNN, 8 Dec. 2021 The brewing conflict came to a head during eleventh hour state budget negotiations in Albany. New York Times, 5 May 2021 The move reverses an eleventh hour decision by Donald Trump in the final days of his administration that brought backlash from bipartisan politicians and humanitarian organizations. Nic Robertson, Nada Bashir And Charbel Mallo, CNN, 23 Apr. 2021 Negotiations ultimately came down to the eleventh hour heading into Spotify's fourth quarter earnings on the morning of Feb. 5. Natalie Jarvey, Billboard, 5 Feb. 2020 Now Johnson will also be known for having her voice and image placed next to President Trump’s own appeal, in the eleventh hour of his impeachment trial, for reelection. Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 3 Feb. 2020 The Wales international was deemed to be surplus to requirements in the Spanish capital during the summer and was on the brink of moving to the Chinese Super League, only for a deal to fall apart in the eleventh hour. SI.com, 5 Nov. 2019 See More
Emma Hinchliffe And Paige Mcglauflin, Fortune, 6 July 2022 Kiyoko is met with a revolving door of potential suitors trying to make their mark before Tilley, 33, makes an eleventh hour limo entrance, exchanging a knowing smile with Kiyoko. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 20 May 2022 Despite his eleventh hour volte-face, Meadows might well have already delivered the probe new information of interest in the form of 6,000 pages of documents. Gregory Krieg, CNN, 8 Dec. 2021 The brewing conflict came to a head during eleventh hour state budget negotiations in Albany. New York Times, 5 May 2021 The move reverses an eleventh hour decision by Donald Trump in the final days of his administration that brought backlash from bipartisan politicians and humanitarian organizations. Nic Robertson, Nada Bashir And Charbel Mallo, CNN, 23 Apr. 2021 Negotiations ultimately came down to the eleventh hour heading into Spotify's fourth quarter earnings on the morning of Feb. 5. Natalie Jarvey, Billboard, 5 Feb. 2020 Now Johnson will also be known for having her voice and image placed next to President Trump’s own appeal, in the eleventh hour of his impeachment trial, for reelection. Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 3 Feb. 2020 The Wales international was deemed to be surplus to requirements in the Spanish capital during the summer and was on the brink of moving to the Chinese Super League, only for a deal to fall apart in the eleventh hour. SI.com, 5 Nov. 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
1821, in the meaning defined above
eleventh hour
noun
as in crisis
the latest possible time The killer's life was spared at the eleventh hour. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- crisis
- emergency
- extremity
- crossroad(s)
- last minute
- possibility
- zero hour
- climax
- situation
- flash point
- boiling point
- breaking point
- landmark
- crunch time
- Dunkirk
- corner
- happening
- milestone
- turning point
- spot
- juncture
- clutch
- crunch
- exigency
- conjuncture
- contingency
- head
- hot water
- tinderbox
- condition
- pass
- last ditch
- strait
- hole
- jam
- predicament
- pinch
- deadlock
- fix
- impasse
- scrape
- stalemate