late
Americanadjective
-
later,
comparative
-
last,
superlative
-
latest
superlative
-
occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time: a late spring.
late frosts;
a late spring.
-
continued until after the usual time or hour; protracted.
a late business meeting.
-
near or at the end of day or well into the night.
a late hour.
-
belonging to the time just before the present moment; most recent.
a late news bulletin;
The car is a late model, but I don't know the exact year.
-
immediately preceding the present one; former.
the late attorney general.
-
recently deceased.
the late Mr. Phipps.
-
occurring at an advanced stage in life.
a late marriage.
-
belonging to an advanced period or stage in the history or development of something.
the late phase of feudalism.
adverb
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after the usual or proper time, or after delay.
to arrive late.
-
until after the usual time or hour; until an advanced hour, especially of the night.
to work late.
-
at or to an advanced time, period, or stage.
The flowers keep their blossoms late in warm climates.
-
recently but no longer.
a man late of Chicago, now living in Philadelphia.
idioms
adjective
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occurring or arriving after the correct or expected time
the train was late
-
(prenominal) occurring, scheduled for, or being at a relatively advanced time
a late marriage
-
(prenominal) towards or near the end
the late evening
-
at an advanced time in the evening or at night
it was late
-
(prenominal) occurring or being just previous to the present time
his late remarks on industry
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(prenominal) having died, esp recently
my late grandfather
-
(prenominal) just preceding the present or existing person or thing; former
the late manager of this firm
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recently; lately
adverb
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after the correct or expected time
he arrived late
-
at a relatively advanced age
she married late
-
recently; lately
as late as yesterday he was selling books
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rising and going to bed later than is usual
-
-
at a late or advanced stage
-
too late
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Usage
Since late can mean deceased, many people think it is better to avoid using this word to refer to the person who held a post or position before its present holder: the previous (not the late ) editor of The Times
Synonym Usage
See modern.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of late
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English læt “slow, late”; cognate with German lass “slothful,” Old Norse latr, Gothic lats “slow, lazy,” Latin lassus “tired”
Explanation
Late means after the expected time, or at the end of a certain period of time. if you're late for a movie, you get to the theater after the film's already started. If you're a late sleeper, you make a habit of dozing long after your alarm goes off. When you're late, you're not on time. You might also be in your late twenties, which means you're at the end of that decade of your life — closer to 30 than to 20. If your friend calls and says, "Sorry I'm calling so late," she means late at night, at the very end of the day. And if you refer to someone as "the late Mr. Smith," it's a formal way of saying Mr. Smith is dead.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sandra Bullock has opened up about her late partner Bryan Randall’s private battle with ALS.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
But by 2032 it may be too late.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Speaking of that: It’s not too late to join our series of challenges to help you rediscover the beauty of socializing in a pre-smartphone era.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
Stacked on top of long-term human-caused climate change, the temporary jolt will offer a glimpse of the heat the world can expect by the late 2030s, experts say.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
It was surely too late to find another teacher who’d teach in a place like that.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Investment bank Jefferies would later calculate that Chinese tech companies during these years were investing less than one-fifth the amount of their U.S. counterparts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
In 2023, he spoke with Tang, who later told his staff he was impressed by Liang’s “different ways of thinking.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
She was due to take the ship's next sailing from Budapest a few days later and was worried.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
He was later identified as 22-year-old Zymire Hughes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
IT WAS TWO evenings later, near the time when the lightbulb usually flickered off, that the cell door banged open and a guard strode in.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
He made the same request last July, which was denied.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The group - which includes Sir Elton John, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Elizabeth Hurley - sued Associated Newspapers Limited over claims of unlawful information gathering, but last month all their claims were dismissed.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The Pentagon’s $59 billion deal announced with Lockheed Martin last month would triple Patriot PAC-3 production by the end of 2030.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
As of last week, there had been 30 human cases of the virus and three fatalities across the state, according to the California Department of Public Health.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Midnight, recalling the journey, gives one last shudder.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
The US's latest figures show the economy slowed in recent months, but it is still growing at fair lick.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
It’s the latest sign that “financial repression” is unwinding, and not a moment too soon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The latest trial over the death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona was suspended Thursday following claims that kidney test results presented to the court came from his father.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Seeking its first victory in a competitive match in three months and three days, the Galaxy hosted the San José Earthquakes on Wednesday in the latest edition of the California Derby.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
“Forty-seven,” she announced at the top of her latest hop.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.