- comparative of late.
later
Americanadjective
adverb
-
a comparative of late.
The meeting ran later than we expected.
-
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.
adjective
adverb
-
afterwards; subsequently
-
an expression of farewell
-
eventually; inevitably
Etymology
Origin of later
First recorded before 900; lat(e) ( def. ) + -er 4 ( def. ) for the adjective; lat(e) ( def. ) + -er 5 ( def. ) for the adverb
Explanation
Later is a way to talk about time: some time after now. You can go to a movie later tonight. Later can also mean more recent, as in "Which is the later movie, Gone with the Wind or Citizen Kane?" It can mean toward the end: “He made that movie later in his career.” It can also mean after, as in "You were later than I thought you'd be!" It can also be used in comparison: "He was late; I was later." All these uses are about time, and how time keeps moving on from now to later.
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.
Three days later, on the morning of July 13, Whiting told the board that he would step down as CEO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
About two hours later, the prosecution responded, admitting they had been aware of the situation for days.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
A judge later added hundreds of millions of dollars in punitive damages, bringing that judgment to roughly $1.4 billion.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
Some 100 days later, there are now more than 2,500 dead, with half of them in the past three weeks, according to UN experts.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Two days later, at five o'clock in the morning, Phineas has a severe seizure.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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.
