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
-
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
-
(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
-
recently; lately
adverb
-
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
-
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:
Atwood, now 65, met Scott in the late 1990s when both were at Merrill Lynch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Together, they were the band's strongest material in years, combining the combustive power of their early, post-punk incarnation with the melodic sophistication they developed in the late 1980s.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The decision to formally pause executions drew support from the late Pope Francis during Newsom’s 2024 trip to the Vatican, according to the governor’s retelling of a brief conversation between the two men.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
DraftKings said the lower outlook reflected a $650 million to $700 million investment in its prediction markets offering, which launched late last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Sometimes, it’s too late for her to do anything.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Half an hour later, Vlasenko heard a large drone approaching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
They became engaged on Christmas Day 2004 and three years later welcomed their son, Kiyan Anthony, now a 19-year-old sophomore at Syracuse University, where he is playing college basketball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Prof James Betts, who researches how the body handles food and energy at the University of Bath, says a big factor is that our "hunger hormone" ghrelin is generally higher later in the day.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
He later slipped and twisted his lower right leg badly as he made a dash to collect a supply package across ground covered by broken bricks, concrete shards, pieces of steel and other debris.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Years later I learned that he was one of the most famous architects in Europe.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
At last it came loose, and the men fled the pipe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
When the first coyote was photographed on the southern end of the crossing last week, a steep dropoff between its two overpasses made it impossible to get to the other side.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
The highlight of the trip is undoubtedly saved for last, when Pope Leo reaches Peru - described by the Vatican as a return to his roots.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Russia’s top general declared last November that Russian troops control Kupyansk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
At last, the true story of Phineas Gage is out in the open.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
This includes the latest employment report from the National Federation of Independent Business, due out later today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
This is underlined by the Bank of England's latest forecasts.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
The latest 2026 forecast now implies a 122% sales growth, versus the projection for about 60% growth given in February, the Bloomberg Intelligence analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
Bass called Raman on Thursday to concede, after the latest numbers showed Raman with 52 percent of the vote against the outgoing mayor's 48 percent, with three-quarters of votes counted.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
The Germans already had a big army, equipped with the latest weapons.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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