English Explanatory Dictionary

die in the last ditch

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To fight till death; to die rather than surrender.

Word forms

die in the last ditch dies in the last ditch dying in the last ditch died in the last ditch

Etymology

Popularized from an 1847 translation by Agnes Strickland of a quote attributed to William of Orange during the French invasion of 1672 on his being advised to surrender Holland to Louis XIV: "No, I mean to die in the last ditch."

Related words

last-ditch
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