fall at the last hurdle
English · Thesaurus
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fall at the last hurdle
- /ˈfɔːl æt ðə ˌlɑːst ˈhɜːdl̩/ UK
- /ˈfɔl æt ðə ˌlæst ˈhɝd(ə)l/ US
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)dəl
Where it comes from
Probably from hurdling, a type of horse racing where horses jump over obstacles called hurdles. The term refers to a horse successfully clearing all but the last hurdle.
verb falls at the last hurdle · falling at the last hurdle · fell at the last hurdle · fallen at the last hurdle
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To fail near the end of an activity, a project, etc.
[W]hen she [Psyche] falls at her last hurdle, it is through her own act, motivated by the identical combination of curiositas and simplicitas that has been her undoing from the start.
Similar: fall at the final hurdle, fall at the last · Opposite: cross the line, go all the way
Translations
Every language
verb to fail near the end of an activity, etc.
| Español | quedarse a la puerta |
|---|---|
| Português | morrer na praia |
Talk about this word "fall at the last hurdle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fall%20at%20the%20last%20hurdle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. fall at the last hurdle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20at%20the%20last%20hurdle "fall at the last hurdle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20at%20the%20last%20hurdle.Cite this
@misc{fall_at_the_last_hurdle_2026,
title = {fall at the last hurdle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fall%20at%20the%20last%20hurdle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
