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:
The Trojans got another break late in the third quarter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The BBC's Caitríona Perry spoke to Kerry Kennedy, the niece of late president John F Kennedy, about demolition threats to the performance centre named after him.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
The Fed raised rates in the late 1990s from levels that were even higher than today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
But Seaport’s Goldberg argues that Cisco’s shift to design and sell systems for cloud providers came late.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 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
When he later got a job in Seattle, my folks wanted to move there, but they couldn’t afford it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Four plays later, Rutgers scored, cutting USC’s lead to three.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The family later heard that Aster was being held in the infamous jail known as Karshelli in the heart of Asmara.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Experiencing “Fjord” is more like playing a puzzle game than watching a film — viewers will be better served if they remember specific details for later.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 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
The New York Fed reported last year that the income levels of the places where first-time home buyers are making purchases have been trending downward.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Dyer is back to compete for a second time, having withdrawn from last year's series due to a fractured ankle.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Diesel prices are soaring—they eclipsed $6 a gallon in the U.S. for the first time last week and have kept climbing, hitting $6.45 on Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
In fact, the last time the Chargers lost to the Raiders was a 63-21 debacle Dec. 14, 2023, and Chargers coach Brandon Staley was fired the next day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
“That was last week. Are you feeling better now?”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
His latest attack on the press, however, raises clear legal questions.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
She’s lived through it, not the version stand-up bros claim to have suffered during their latest Netflix specials.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
What to know: What distinguishes the latest take on Jane Austen’s story about the headstrong Elizabeth Bennet and the emotionally inaccessible Mr. Darcy?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
The latest blow to McClatchy’s newsrooms came last week when Chatham sent layoff notices to more than 90 unionized journalists and media workers at 17 publications in California and elsewhere across the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
He’s holding a copy of his latest book, Stevie James and the Soul Scythe, which shows a Black boy on the cover, pointing a wand at a hooded figure.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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.
