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
-
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
-
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:
Belafonte “often visited Janet Kennedy’s couch in the late afternoon, when their sessions could segue easily into cocktails and dinner” at the Kennedys’ elegant apartment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Coherent’s chief executive, Jim Anderson, flew to Beijing with President Trump in late May to raise licensing delays, according to the same report.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
He immersed himself in Nevada Democratic politics, growing close with the late U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
In May 2025, Infantino had been on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East with Trump and turned up two hours late for the Fifa Congress in Paraguay.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Not a single courier or escort person was at the Beje this late in the day.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The singer-guitarist then sued the band for lost wages before settling the lawsuit later that year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
His campaign was also briefly tripped up by court rulings banning his use of national symbols like Colombia's football jersey -- decisions that were later overturned.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
With Nvidia’s own earnings report expected later this month, “some traders are clearly positioning ahead of that,” Leaman said in emailed comments.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
He sold Quidsi, an e-commerce site for diapers and other household goods, to Amazon in 2011, and later sold Jet.com, another online retailer, to Walmart for $3.3 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
But after her birthday, she was able to see events that didn’t occur until weeks later.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
When he announced the charges last week, Hochman said that while the comments captured by Flores were deplorable, he couldn’t turn a blind eye to a blatant violation of the state’s two-party consent recording statute.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Asked last year if he regretted voting to confirm Kennedy, Cassidy demurred.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
There are several factors behind the rise in obesity, including changes in eating habits and food prices over the last 30 years.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
For Europe as a whole, the number of those arriving illegally fell sharply over the past two years to 177,000 last year from 380,000 in 2023, according to Frontex, Europe’s border and coast guard agency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
By the time the last legendary grandparent had held him and loved him as a grandson, Jason’s heartbreak felt soothed.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
But perhaps Buckingham’s latest comments, along with last year’s reissue of he and Nicks’ pre-Fleetwood Mac album “Buckingham Nicks,” are signs that not all hope is lost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
It is the latest example of tech giants going off the grid to get their AI operations online faster.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
US stock markets opened higher on Friday following the release of the latest jobs figures on the prospect that the weaker data might prevent any rate hikes.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Find insight on Lyft, Wizz Air, DHL Group and more in the latest Market Talks covering auto and transport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
“If it’s not back before three o’clock at the latest, the rest of today’s Morpho event will be canceled.”
From "A Monster of a Mystery (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #5)" by Franklin W. Dixon
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.
