last weekend

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "last weekend" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to the weekend that occurred immediately before the current week. Example: "I went hiking last weekend and had a great time in nature."

✓ Grammatically correct

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

The last one was in 1989.

The Economist

His record - two cups within six months of his appointment, a domestic treble in his first full season, a second title in 2005 and reaching the last 16 of the Champions League - set the context for a rueful but masterfully understated parting comment: "I'm sure those people who look at the facts will say that during a period of downsizing, I was reasonably successful".

The Guardian - Sport

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

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

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

"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

Last summer the Electoral Commission said 7.5 million eligible voters were not registered, with poor, black and young people least likely to be on the electoral roll.

The Guardian

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

This was the second time in seven months that Hill has come close to the death chamber: last July he was spared by just 90 minutes and the experience was repeated on Tuesday night with just 30 minutes to go.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "last weekend" to clearly indicate the weekend immediately preceding the current week when describing past events or activities.

Common error

Avoid using "last weekend" when you actually mean the upcoming weekend. "This weekend" refers to the immediate future, while "last weekend" refers to the immediate past.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "last weekend" functions as an adverbial phrase of time, specifying when an action or event occurred in relation to the present moment. It modifies a verb by indicating the time frame in which the action took place.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "last weekend" is a grammatically correct and widely understood phrase used to refer to the weekend immediately preceding the current week. Ludwig AI indicates its correctness. While Ludwig's examples are missing, its absence does not affect its usability. Alternatives such as "the previous weekend" offer slight variations in tone. When using this phrase, ensure you aren't confusing it with "this weekend", which refers to the upcoming weekend. Overall, "last weekend" is a reliable and straightforward way to provide temporal context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

The previous weekend

Replaces "last" with "previous", offering a slightly more formal tone.

The prior weekend

A slightly more formal synonym for "last weekend".

The most recent weekend

Highlights the temporal aspect of the weekend.

This past weekend

Uses "past" instead of "last", providing a subtle variation in wording.

The weekend we just had

Emphasizes the shared experience of having just gone through the weekend.

The weekend that just passed

Emphasizes the recentness of the weekend.

The weekend before last

Refers to the weekend immediately before the most recent one.

Saturday and Sunday before

Specifies the days that constitute the weekend.

The weekend lately gone

A more poetic or archaic way of saying "last weekend".

The concluding weekend

Implies that the weekend marked the end of a period or event.

FAQs

What is the difference between "last weekend" and "this weekend"?

"Last weekend" refers to the weekend that just passed, while "this weekend" refers to the upcoming weekend.

Can I use "previous weekend" instead of "last weekend"?

Yes, "previous weekend" is a suitable alternative, offering a slightly more formal tone.

Is it correct to say "the last weekend"?

While understandable, it's more common and natural to say "last weekend". The addition of "the" is generally unnecessary.

What if I want to refer to the weekend before the most recent one?

You can say "the weekend before last" to specify the weekend prior to the one immediately before the current week.