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latecomer

American  
[leyt-kuhm-er] / ˈleɪtˌkʌm ər /

noun

  1. a person who arrives late.

    The latecomers were seated after the overture.
latecomer British  
/ ˈleɪtˌkʌmə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that comes late

"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

Etymology

Origin of latecomer

First recorded in 1865–70; late + comer

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.

Apple would be a latecomer to the world of foldable phones — with Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan noting that Samsung and Huawei both released foldable smartphones in 2019.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

Rep. Wesley Hunt, a latecomer to the race who was an early backer of Trump in 2024, earned 13.5% of the vote and will not advance to the run-off.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026

A latecomer to this space, Netflix has already announced the release, in early 2026, of a dozen programs licensed from Spotify.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

But Fox will be a latecomer to a field where some of the major players are still losing billions of dollars.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2025

Now a latecomer by the name of Henry Park.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

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.