The idiom the last nail in the coffin means an event, decision, or action that seals, confirms, or ultimately leads to the failure of a situation or event that has already begun to fail. It is often used to describe the last in a series of negative occurrences that cause a disastrous outcome. The origin of this expression is unclear, but it may be related to the literal act of hammering nails into a coffin to prevent the corpse from escaping or being resurrected.
Here is an example of how to use this idiom in a sentence:
- The company was already struggling financially, but the pandemic was the final nail in the coffin for its survival.
