last december

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'last December' is correct and usable in written English.
For example, 'I travelled to Europe last December for a holiday.'.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

He died last September.

The New York Times

(It reopened last December).

The New York Times - Food

He was released last December.

The New Yorker

Its contract expired last December.

The New York Times

He was paroled last December.

The New York Times

Last December, Abdulmutallab's attempt over Detroit.

The New York Times - Magazine

LAST December, they tried and failed.

The Economist

Last December, SolarCity began trading publicly.

The New York Times

She died of AD last December.

The New York Times

This is our last December holiday post.

The New York Times

It did happen, momentarily, last December.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "last december" to clearly specify an event that occurred in the December of the preceding year. It provides a concise and easily understood timeframe.

Common error

Avoid using "last december" when you mean December of two or more years ago. If the time frame is not the immediately preceding December, specify the year (e.g., "December 2023").

Linguistic Context

The phrase "last december" functions as an adverbial modifier of time, specifying when an action or event took place. Ludwig confirms that it is appropriate to use in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

85%

Formal & Business

8%

Science

7%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "last december" is a common and grammatically correct way to refer to the December of the preceding year. Ludwig highlights the correctness and usability of this phrase. Predominantly found in News & Media, as well as in Formal & Business contexts, it serves to provide a specific temporal reference. For alternatives, consider "december of last year" or "the previous december". When using the phrase, ensure it accurately reflects the intended time frame to avoid any confusion.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

december of last year

Rephrases using a more descriptive way to specify the month.

the previous december

Uses "previous" as a synonym for "last".

december just gone

An informal way of saying "last december".

the december before this one

A more explicit, less common way to indicate the same time frame.

in december of the past year

Similar to "december of last year" but slightly more formal.

a year ago in december

Changes the sentence structure to emphasize the yearly timeframe.

the final month of the previous year

More descriptive and formal.

twelve months prior in december

A technical, less common alternative.

end of the year before

Focuses on the end of the year rather than specifying the month, leading to a bit more semantic difference.

the tenth month before october

This refers to last December by counting the months back from October.

FAQs

How do I use "last december" in a sentence?

Use "last december" to refer to events that occurred in the December of the immediately preceding year. For example, "I traveled to Europe "last december"."

What can I say instead of "last december"?

You can use alternatives like "december of last year" or "the previous december" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "the last december"?

While understandable, ""last december"" is the more common and grammatically preferred way to refer to the December of the previous year.

How does "last december" differ from "december 2024"?

"Last december" is relative to the current year, implying the December immediately before the current year. "December 2024" specifically refers to December of the year 2024, regardless of the current year.