Synonyms of laternext
: at some time subsequent to a given time : subsequently, afterward
one week later
they later regretted the decision
—often used with on
experience that will be useful later on

later

2 of 3

comparative of late entry 1, late entry 2

-later

3 of 3

noun combining form

: worshipper
bibliolater

Examples of later in a Sentence

Adverb I'll talk to you again later. They later regretted the decision. She returned several weeks later. I saw him again later that morning.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adverb
Bhartia highlighted that foreign investors put in about 570 billion rupees ($6 billion) into Indian equities in September of 2024, and a month later pulled out 940 billion rupees to chase cheaper Chinese stocks. — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026 An auditor flagged those expenses, and the state later clawed them back. — Julie Watts, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2026 The two split briefly in January 2025, but they were photographed three months later, coincidentally leaving the same Nobu restaurant. — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026 Two days later, a neighbor’s doorbell camera picked up video of a man matching Sapov’s description approaching the victim’s door while wearing a full-face rubber mask. — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for later

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

see late entry 1

Noun combining form

French -latre, from Late Latin -latres, from Greek -latrēs; akin to Greek latron pay

First Known Use

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of later was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Later.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/later. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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