late

[ leyt ]

adjective

, lat·er, lat·est or last.

1. occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time: a late spring.

   late frosts;

   a late spring.

   Synonyms: belated, delayed, dilatory, slow, tardy

2. continued until after the usual time or hour; protracted:

   a late business meeting.

3. near or at the end of day or well into the night:

   a late hour.

4. 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.

5. immediately preceding the present one; former:

   the late attorney general.

6. recently deceased:

   the late Mr. Phipps.

7. occurring at an advanced stage in life:

   a late marriage.

8. belonging to an advanced period or stage in the history or development of something:

   the late phase of feudalism.

adverb

, lat·er, lat·est.

1. after the usual or proper time, or after delay:

   to arrive late.

2. until after the usual time or hour; until an advanced hour, especially of the night:

   to work late.

3. at or to an advanced time, period, or stage:

   The flowers keep their blossoms late in warm climates.

4. recently but no longer:

   a man late of Chicago, now living in Philadelphia.

late

/ leɪt /

adjective

1. occurring or arriving after the correct or expected time

   the train was late

2. prenominal occurring, scheduled for, or being at a relatively advanced time

   a late marriage

3. prenominal towards or near the end

   the late evening

4. at an advanced time in the evening or at night

   it was late

5. prenominal occurring or being just previous to the present time

   his late remarks on industry

6. prenominal having died, esp recently

   my late grandfather

7. prenominal just preceding the present or existing person or thing; former

   the late manager of this firm

8. of late
   recently; lately

adverb

1. after the correct or expected time

   he arrived late

2. at a relatively advanced age

   she married late

3. recently; lately

   as late as yesterday he was selling books

4. late hours
   rising and going to bed later than is usual
5. late in the day
   1. at a late or advanced stage
   2. too late

Usage

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

• ˈlateness, noun

Other Words From

• lateness noun
• over·late adjective
• over·lateness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of late¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of late¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. of late, lately; recently:

   The days have been getting warmer of late.

More idioms and phrases containing late

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

Synonym Study

See modern.

Example Sentences

The way Musk and Ramaswamy have been talking, they clearly have the idea that they’ll be cleaning house from Day 1 onward—just like Musk did when he bought Twitter in late 2022, brought his friends and cronies on as consultants for cost cuts, ousted the company’s executives, and went on to lay off thousands more staffers.

From Slate

In a picture probably from the late 1940s he wears a flannel shirt tucked into trousers.

From Salon

The Union of Concerned Scientists, the National Wildlife Federation, Earth First and The Wilderness Society, among others, all published articles or ran campaigns against runaway population growth well into the late 1990s.

From Salon

Since the beginning of the bull market in late 2022, the market has grown 70%, meaning many stocks are now trading at premiums, which could make further growth in its third year more challenging, he added.

From Salon

Who talked Trump out of nominating “the late, great” Hannibal Lecter?

From Salon

Related Words

• slowly