Synonyms

too little, too late

Idioms

Inadequate as a remedy and not in time to be effective, as in The effort to divert the stream into a corn field was too little too late—the houses were already flooded. This term originated in the military, where it was applied to reinforcements that were insufficient and arrived too late to be of help. [First half of 1900s]

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.

He makes an almost tacked-on, Yoda-like appearance, but it’s too little, too late.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

When the Pats added another touchdown with a couple minutes left, it was too little, too late.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Nike is finally getting into the pickleball game — but is it too little, too late?

From MarketWatch • Jan. 17, 2026

But for Calumn, the promise of internal training is too little too late.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

But it was a case of too little, too late.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023