later

[lei-ter]

adjective

1. a comparative of late.

   Her later years were not happy.

adverb

1. a comparative of late.

   The meeting ran later than we expected.

2. afterward, subsequently, or at a time in the future (sometimes followed byon ).

   She later said she was sorry. I'll see you later. Let's decide about this later on.

later

/ ˈleɪtə /

adjective

1. the comparative of late

adverb

1. afterwards; subsequently

2. an expression of farewell

3. eventually; inevitably

Word History and Origins

Origin of later¹

First recorded before 900; lat(e) ( def. ) + -er ⁴ ( def. ) for the adjective; lat(e) ( def. ) + -er ⁵ ( def. ) for the adverb

Idioms and Phrases

• late
• sooner or later

Example Sentences

He was in his later years hailed for his integrity and statesmanship.

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It reversed the decision later that year, opting to give the car a redesign instead.

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On Thursday, the chip maker announced the first products based on its Panther Lake architecture will enter “high volume” production at Intel’s newest chip factory in Arizona later this year.

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“Similar surges to the one we’ve seen over the past couple of months have led to outperformance over six months and much more impressive gains a year later.”

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Five minutes later, the cotton clothes are shrinking in high heat and the rice is burning on the stovetop.

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Related Words

• afterward 
• again 
• next 
• subsequently 
• thereafter