noun
Refers to the end point or concluding part of an event, story, period, list, or process. Common in phrases such as 最後まで and 最後に.
物語の最後で、主人公は故郷に戻る。
At the end of the story, the main character returns to his hometown.
最
Please don't give up until the end.
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
Used before の to describe the last or final item in an ordered set. It can sometimes correspond to English 'latest' or 'most recent' when the item is simply the last one so far, but 最新 is clearer when no sense of 'last/final' is intended.
最後の質問に答えてから、会議は終わった。
After answering the final question, the meeting ended.
彼の最後の発言が一番印象に残った。
His last remark left the strongest impression on me.
expression
once ... happens, that is it; no sooner than; right after, with consequences
Fixed pattern after a verb in the たら form or after a た form plus が: 〜たら最後／〜たが最後. It means that once something happens, an unavoidable or often undesirable result follows.
そのボタンを押したが最後、データは全部消えてしまう。
Once you press that button, all the data will be deleted.
彼に秘密を話したら最後、みんなに広まってしまう。
Once you tell him a secret, it will spread to everyone.
noun
one's final moments
Archaic noun use for a person's final moments, now normally written and understood as 最期. In modern Japanese, 最後 usually means 'the end' or 'last,' not specifically the moment of death.
See also: 最期
古い文章では、「最後」が人の死に際を指すことがある。
In old writing, 最後 can refer to a person's final moments.