late

[ leyt ]

See synonyms for: late last later latest on Thesaurus.com

adjective,lat·er, lat·est or last.

occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time: 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,lat·er, lat·est.

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 about late

of late, lately; recently: The days have been getting warmer of late.

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”

synonym study For late

4. See modern.

Other words for late

1	tardy; slow, dilatory; delayed, belated

See synonyms for late on Thesaurus.com

Other words from late

lateness, noun
o·ver·late, adjective
o·ver·late·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with late

later , latter

Words Nearby late

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use late in a sentence

Whenever I travel, I like to start the adventure with oysters, which my late friend, Seattle seafood maven Jon Rowley, advocated.
Now that’s room service: What it’s like to check into a hotel just for dinner | Tom Sietsema | February 12, 2021 | Washington Post
Two games before that lopsided result, Virginia rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second half and held off a late surge to secure a 64-62 victory over the Yellow Jackets at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.
Virginia pulls away from Georgia Tech, tightens grip on first place in ACC | Gene Wang | February 11, 2021 | Washington Post
Arlington Public Schools and Prince William County Public Schools both agreed to add holidays for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Diwali and Eid al-Fitr in late 2020.
Faith leaders criticize Fairfax school board for delaying vote on adding four religious holidays to calendar | Hannah Natanson | February 10, 2021 | Washington Post
The latest request noted that the agency has obtained about 86 million anonymized records of residential utility usage in the city from January 2015 through 2019 to facilitate the study.
Vacancy Tax Study Is Giving City Officials Déjà Vu | Lisa Halverstadt and Andrew Keatts | February 10, 2021 | Voice of San Diego
That’s what makes “The Lady and the Dale” much more than just the latest must-watch distraction on streaming TV.
‘The Lady and the Dale’ explores transphobia in 1970s America | John Paul King | February 10, 2021 | Washington Blade

I remember H. Jon Benjamin told me it was a way-too-late apology for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS | Marlow Stern | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
At the moment, the only chance I get is when I go do late Night with Seth Meyers.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness | Marlow Stern | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Are you bi-coastal now, between Portlandia and late Night with Seth Meyers?
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness | Marlow Stern | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
late Wednesday night, French authorities reported that Mourad had surrendered to police, while the two brothers remained at large.
Police Hunt for Paris Massacre Suspects | Tracy McNicoll, Christopher Dickey | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
As he tried to make his way through a crowd of mourners late last month, he looked preoccupied and even disoriented.
What an Iranian Funeral Tells Us About the Wars in Iraq | IranWire | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The strains of the syren at last woke her uncle, and brought back Miss Hood, who suggested that it was late.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
The plant as a whole remains green until late in the autumn.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
But, there was also another which might not be quite so pleasing to Elizabeth, although Louis felt it came too late for him.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
In 1856 she married Mesdag, who, rather late in life decided to follow the career of a painter.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine Clement
He explains the late departure of the ships for Nueva España, and the consequent mortality reported on one of them.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for late

late

/ (leɪt) /

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
of late 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
late hours rising and going to bed later than is usual
late in the day
- at a late or advanced stage
- too late

Origin of late

Old English læt; related to Old Norse latr, Gothic lats

usage For late

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

Derived forms of late

lateness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with late

late

In addition to the idioms beginning with late

late in life
late in the day

also see:

at the latest
better late than never
Johnny-come-lately
keep late hours
of late
the latest
too little, too late

Also see underlater.

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