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Glite Dictionary
at the eleventh hour

at the eleventh hour

3 4.5
The last moment before a deadline when it is almost too late
  • idiom
translation icon : en el último momento
  • The team submitted their project proposal at the eleventh hour to meet the deadline.

Examples

  • At the eleventh hour, literally minutes before the Wii U went on sale, Nintendo issued a huge patch for the system.

    Blog text (17)

  • You can't do this at the eleventh hour.

    Scrooged (1988)

  • At the eleventh hour, he became the president we had been looking for.

    Blog text (29)

  • There, at the eleventh hour, I finally developed an interest in pie baking.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Last year's agreement on the payroll tax cut extension happened at the eleventh hour.

    Blog text (2)

  • Even at the eleventh hour, the cancer might go into remission.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • I'm coming in at the eleventh hour, and I don't want to step on toes.

    Magic Mike XXL (2015)

  • Then, at the eleventh hour, a coalition of Catholic churches joined seal opponents with a written appeal published in the newspaper on the day of the second council vote.

    Academic text (1997)

  • At the eleventh hour, the ANC also demanded that state-determined quotas be added to the legislation to control the numbers of skilled people likely to come to the country.

    Academic text (2002)

  • An invitation to Greece scheduled for the very last day of the millennium was rescinded at the eleventh hour by a seafarers' union unwilling to challenge powerful Greek shipowners.

    Academic text (2002)

Synonyms

just in time
vsat the eleventh hour
167 3.5

At the last moment before it is too late

is the broader idea of acting at the final possible moment
at the last minute
vsat the eleventh hour
101 2.5

Happening just before the last possible moment to act

is defined as the last possible moment before something must be done
down to the wire
vsat the eleventh hour
  • Informal
14 7.0

Not decided until the very last moment before a deadline

focuses on an action happening at the final possible moment rather than indecision
in the nick of time
vsat the eleventh hour
  • Informal
14 3.5

Just before it is too late

is the phrase meaning the final possible moment before a deadline
just under the wire
vsat the eleventh hour
2 6.2

At the last moment before time runs out

emphasizes the final possible moment rather than the meeting action
not a minute too soon
vsat the eleventh hour
  • Informal
5.9

Happens just in time before it is too late

is the neutral expression for acting at the final possible moment

Antonyms

early
∞ 1.0

Before the usual or expected time

in advance
278 1.8

Before something happens or someone needs it

How Late

at the eleventh hour
3 4.5
in the nick of time
  • Informal
14 3.5
on time
321 1.0
beforehand
100 2.7

Surface Forms

at the eleventh hour positive

Morphology

at + the + eleventh + hour

The components 'eleventh' (11th) and 'hour' (a unit of time) transparently point to a late or very specific time, so learners can guess it refers to a late moment. However, the conventionalized sense 'the last possible moment' is an idiomatic, culturally established extension that is not fully predictable from the parts, so a B1 learner who simply knows the words may not reliably infer the exact meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

At the eleventh hour comes from the image of a clock: the eleventh hour is the hour just before twelve, so it feels like the very last time to act. That's why the phrase now means 'at the last minute'.