late
late [late later latest] adjective, adverb BrE [leɪt] NAmE [leɪt]
adjective (later, lat·est)
1. only before noun near the end of a period of time, a person's life, etc
•in the late afternoon
•in late summer
• She married in her late twenties (= when she was 28 or 29).
• In later life he started playing golf.
•The school was built in the late 1970s.
•a late Victorian house
•his late plays
•a late goal
•The concert was cancelled at a very late stage.
Opp: ↑early
2. not usually before noun arriving, happening or done after the expected, arranged or usual time
• I'm sorry I'm late.
• She's late for work every day.
•My flight was an hour late.
•We apologize for the late arrival of this train.
•Because of the cold weather the crops are later this year.
•Interest will be charged for late payment.
•Here is a late news flash.
•Some children are very late developers.
Opp: ↑early
3. near the end of the day
• Let's go home— it's getting late.
• Look at the time— it's much later than I thought.
•What are you doing up at this late hour?
•What is the latest time I can have an appointment?
•I've had too many late nights recently (= when I've gone to bed very late).
Opp: ↑early
4. only before noun (formal) (of a person)no longer alive
•her late husband
•the late Paul Newman
see also ↑later, ↑latest
Word Origin:
Old English læt (adjective; also in the sense ‘slow, tardy’), late (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to German lass, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin lassus ‘weary’ and ↑let.
Thesaurus:
late adj. not usually before noun
•My flight was an hour late.
overdue • • slow • |written belated •
Opp: early, Opp: on time, Opp: punctual
late/overdue for sth
late/slow in doing sth
two weeks/a year late/overdue
Example Bank:
•He was now three weeks late with his rent.
•I don't know what the time is, but it feels quite late.
•I'm late for work.
•It was now late into the night.
•It's getting too late to do anything today.
•Kevin was fashionably late as always.
•The train was 45 minutes late.
•You've left it a bit late to start your homework, haven't you?
•She spoke of her late husband with passion.
•She's late for work every day.
•The event was organized in memory of the late Christopher Reeve.
Idioms: ↑better late than never ▪ ↑late in the day ▪ ↑late of … ▪ ↑of late ▪ ↑too late
Derived Word: ↑lateness
adverb (comparative later, no superlative)
1. after the expected, arranged or usual time
• I got up late.
• Can I stay up late tonight?
•She has to work late tomorrow.
•The big stores are open later on Thursdays.
•She married late.
•The birthday card arrived three days late.
2. near the end of a period of time, a person's life, etc
•late in March/the afternoon
• It happened late last year.
•As late as (= as recently as) the 1950s, tuberculosis was still a fatal illness.
•He became an author late in life.
3. near the end of the day
• There's a good film on late.
• Late that evening, there was a knock at the door.
•Share prices fell early on but rose again late in the day.
•They worked late into the night to finish the report.
Opp: ↑early
see also ↑later
more at an early/a late night at ↑night, sooner or later at ↑soon
Word Origin:
Old English læt (adjective; also in the sense ‘slow, tardy’), late (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to German lass, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin lassus ‘weary’ and ↑let.
Grammar Point:
late / lately
Late and lately are both adverbs, but late is used with similar meanings to the adjective late, whereas lately can only mean ‘recently’: ▪ We arrived two hours late. ◇ ▪ I haven’t heard from him lately. Lately is usually used with a perfect tense of the verb.
Look also at the idioms be too late (at the adjective) and too late (at the adverb).
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