the last trump

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

The final end of all things earthly; the Day of Judgment. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. — 1 Cor. xv, 51, 52.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “the last trump” mean?

The final end of all things earthly; the Day of Judgment. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. — 1 Cor. xv, 51, 52.

Is “the last trump” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.