last three months

USAGE SUMMARY

'last three months' is a perfectly correct and usable phrase in written English.
You would use it when referring to the past three months - for example: "I haven't seen my sister in the last three months."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

The shares have underperformed the market by 6% in the last three months and now trade at a discount to the oil service peers.

The Guardian - Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

The last one was in 1989.

The Economist

The order book was down slightly at £3.6bn from the last update in June but well ahead of the £3.3bn reported this time last year.

The Guardian - Business

More than 9,000 women were involved originally, and were divided into three groups.

The Economist

Last year, during David Cameron's trip to Beijing, the same paper announced that Britain was "just an old European country apt [that is, suitable] for travel and study".

The Guardian - Opinion

What happened four months ago is forgotten, whether that's good, bad or indifferent.

The Guardian - Sport

Referred to in court as D, she entered a not guilty plea to a charge of intimidation last week while wearing a niqab after the judge backed down from a previous decision that she would have to show her face to be properly identified.

The Guardian

As a result, the country lost a further 21 positions in the policy evaluation compared to last year, thus replacing Canada as the worst-performing industrial country".

The Guardian

Specifically, the Nasdaq excludes anyone who was employed the company in the past three years.

The New York Times

"Scoring is not up, but injuries are up," Tallon said of the current rule last week.

The New York Times

Since last July the state has opted to use just one massive dose of the sedative pentobarbital as its lethal injection, instead of a cocktail of three different drugs.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "last three months", ensure the context clearly establishes the starting point of the three-month period. For instance, specify "from January to March" or make sure it aligns with the current date.

Common error

Avoid using "last three months" ambiguously. Without a clear reference point, it may not be immediately clear which specific three-month period you're referring to, leading to confusion.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "last three months" functions as a time expression, specifically an adverbial phrase of time. It modifies a verb or clause by specifying when an action occurred or a state existed. Ludwig AI confirms its usability.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "last three months" is a grammatically sound and comprehensible time expression, predominantly found in neutral contexts such as news media, as confirmed by Ludwig AI. It serves the purpose of specifying a duration, and while relatively infrequent, its usage is straightforward. For more formal settings, consider using alternatives such as "the preceding three months". When employing this phrase, ensure the context clearly indicates the three-month period being referenced, and be mindful of potential ambiguity. As stated by Ludwig, the phrase is usable in written English.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

previous three months

Replaces "last" with "previous", maintaining the same meaning.

past three months

Substitutes "last" with "past", offering a synonym with identical temporal reference.

recent three months

Uses "recent" instead of "last", emphasizing the recency of the period.

the last quarter

Refers to a three-month period, especially in business or financial contexts. It is very different since financial quarters start in different times than months.

third most recent month

Specifies the three-month duration explicitly, highlighting the time frame.

the last 90 days

Specifies the period in days instead of months.

in the last trimester

It is used in medical contexts and in other fields it means 'in the last third'.

since three months ago

Focuses on the duration since a point in the past, rather than a specific period.

during the preceding trimester

Like in the sentence "in the last trimester", the trimester here means 'period of 3 months'.

the three months prior

Uses a more formal tone to indicate the three months before a specific point.

FAQs

How do I use "last three months" in a sentence?

You can use "last three months" to refer to a period spanning from a specific point up to the present, as in "Our sales have increased significantly in the "last three months"".

What's a more formal alternative to "last three months"?

A more formal alternative is "the preceding three months", which is suitable for academic or business writing.

Is there a difference between "last three months" and "past three months"?

The phrases "last three months" and "past three months" are largely interchangeable and carry the same meaning in most contexts.

Can I use "last quarter" instead of "last three months"?

"Last quarter" can be used instead of "last three months" in financial or business contexts, but it refers to a specific three-month period (a fiscal quarter), which might not align with the most recent three months. Always ensure the term's meaning aligns with what you want to communicate.