How to Use the final/last straw in a Sentence

the final/last straw

noun
Definition of the final/last strawnext
  • That was the last straw for the rest of the Freedom Caucus.
    — Molly Ball, Time, 18 July 2023
  • This might just be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back.
    — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Sep. 2023
  • David’s teeth had begun to fall out, and this proved to be the final straw.
    — Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2024
  • The last turnover the Lakers had with four minutes and 50 seconds left in the game was the final straw for them.
    — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024
  • But my two-year-old cat’s sudden death was the final straw.
    — Kayla Blanton, SELF, 19 Mar. 2024
  • The argument appears to be the final straw for Brandan, who leaves the house to sleep on a stone bench.
    — Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 9 Oct. 2023
  • Last year might have been the final straw for the long-standing tradition.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 Nov. 2022
  • The most recent clash — and the one that might have been the last straw for Merida — involved the paper’s coverage of the war in the Middle East.
    — Jason McGahan, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2024
  • Among many other issues, today feels like the last straw.
    — Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 12 June 2023
  • Maybe this will be the final straw that leads MK to question his Tesla overlords.
    — Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 5 Sep. 2024
  • Dewald said Reed’s affidavit was the last straw for him as a parent.
    — Jo Yurcaba, NBC News, 27 Apr. 2023
  • Congress’ latest two-week recess, even with its long list of undone work, should be the last straw.
    — Michael J. Goff, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2024
  • He’s done, and airing their drama to everyone last night was the final straw.
    — Emma Soren, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2024
  • And protection of William in the press was the final straw in deciding to step down as a royal, Harry says.
    — Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2022
  • And protection of William in the press was the final straw in deciding to step down as a royal, Harry said.
    — Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2023
  • The passage of the new law was the last straw for some Israelis, who have been struggling with a high cost of living and underfunded schools.
    — Roni Caryn Rabin, BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2023
  • For them, the final straw was news, in early June, that the bodies of over 200 of their neighbors had been pulled from the ruins of a nearby building.
    — Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2022
  • The recorded tapes were the final straw after years of mismanagement of the franchise.
    — Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2022
  • The casualties of last year’s storms was the last straw, according to Karazissis.
    — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024
  • The higher taxes for the rich was the final straw that sent my Capitol Hill neighbor packing to a penthouse across the river.
    — Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2022
  • The only problem is, that might be the final straw for the Athletics franchise residing in the Bay Area.
    — Tyler Small, Forbes, 30 Apr. 2022
  • Chapek faced his share of public scandals, but the final straw was likely the thumbs-down verdict in recent months from Wall Street.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Nov. 2022
  • Might someone have foreseen that this could blow up and become the last straw for the job tenure of Posley and probably others?
    — Alan J. Borsuk, Journal Sentinel, 7 June 2024
  • Maybe this was the final straw after years of disrespect from politicians.
    — Reshma Saujani, TIME, 10 Sep. 2024
  • But a Telegram post in July apparently was the last straw.
    — Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 5 Nov. 2023
  • This proved the last straw for Mayor Bill de Blasio, who torpedoed the back-channel effort.
    — Richard Steier, New York Daily News, 15 July 2024
  • Cynics wondered whether that meeting might have been the final straw, but, in truth, the sense of royal timing was exact.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2022
  • But the dropping test scores and the widening racial gap should be the final straw for parents — the teachers unions and politicians who kept schools closed should be held accountable.
    — Joel Mathis, The Week, 23 June 2023
  • Camille catching Gabriel with Emily was the final straw for her in her relationship with Gabriel, aside from her love affair with the artist from her gallery, Sofia.
    — Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 22 Dec. 2022
  • For Judge Kaplan, the article about Ms. Ellison was the final straw.
    — Matthew Goldstein, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the final/last straw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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