Meaning
The latest possible moment before something happens or before it becomes too late to act.
It carries a slightly more formal, even dramatic tone than everyday alternatives like “last minute” — often used for decisions, negotiations, or rescues that only come together right at the deadline.
Origin
The phrase comes from Jesus’s Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in the Gospel of Matthew (20:1-16), in which a landowner hires laborers throughout the day, including a final group at “about the eleventh hour” — five o’clock by the ancient Jewish reckoning of a twelve-hour working day starting at 6 a.m. When evening comes, the landowner pays every worker the same wage regardless of when they started, making the point that even those who arrive at the very last opportunity are treated with full generosity. Over time the phrase detached from its religious context and hardened into a general English idiom for the final possible moment before a deadline, retaining the sense of “barely in time” without necessarily any reference to divine grace.
Examples
The deal was signed at the eleventh hour, just before the deadline expired.
Rescuers arrived at the eleventh hour to save the trapped hikers.
She changed her presentation at the eleventh hour after new data came in.
A: “Did the merger go through?” B: “Yes, but only at the eleventh hour.”
Frequently asked questions
What does 'Eleventh hour' mean?
The latest possible moment before something happens or before it becomes too late to act.
It carries a slightly more formal, even dramatic tone than everyday alternatives like “last minute” — often used for decisions, negotiations, or rescues that only come together right at the deadline.