late

adjective \ ˈlāt \

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: late in a Sentence

later; latest

1 a (1) : coming or remaining after the due, usual, or proper time

a late spring

was late for class

(2) : of, relating to, or imposed because of tardiness

had to pay a late fee

b (1) : of or relating to an advanced stage in point of time or development : occurring near the end of a period of time or series

the late Middle Ages

(2) : far advanced toward the close of the day or night

late hours

2 a : living comparatively recently : now deceased —used of persons

the late John Doe

and often with reference to a specific relationship or status

his late wife

b : being something or holding some position or relationship recently but not now

the late belligerents

c : made, appearing, or happening just previous to the present time especially as the most recent of a succession

our late quarrel

—

lateness

noun

See late defined for English-language learners

See late defined for kids

Examples of late in a Sentence

It happened in late spring.
a word first recorded in the late 17th century
We had a late spring this year.
Hurry up or we'll be late for school.
Their warning was too late to help him.
I've always been a late riser.
He made a donation to the school in memory of his late wife.

Recent Examples of late from the Web

Amir Garrett, who was pitching for the Reds when Hamilton made the play, was impressed: Get the latest Reds news.

— dave clark, Cincinnati.com, "Jim Riggleman: Billy Hamilton's latest defensive gem 'unbelievable'," 14 July 2018
The wife of a late United Auto Workers union official received an 18-month prison sentence Friday as part of a federal corruption investigation at a training center run by the union and automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

— dom calicchio, Fox News, "Widow of union official led 'high-flying lifestyle' on cash meant to train autoworkers: prosecutor," 14 July 2018
Isaac and Bamba have become the new centerpieces of the Magic’s nucleus, the players who must meet their potential for the franchise’s latest rebuild to succeed.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Jonathan Isaac, Mo Bamba gave Magic hope at summer league," 14 July 2018
The latest proof of their romance comes in the form of some pretty steamy (no pun intended) hot tub photos that Justin posted (and then, uh, deleted?) to the 'gram earlier today, June 14.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Justin Bieber Posted and Deleted Instagrams of Hailey Baldwin in a Hot Tub," 14 July 2018
The latest comprehensive plan for the seven-county area covered economic development, livable communities, protection of natural resources, traffic improvements, and collaboration of all levels of government.

— susan demar lafferty, Daily Southtown, "CMAP plan draws variety of comments," 14 July 2018
Deleting her photos could be a way to herald in the latest era of Miley, whatever that may entail — which is fairly likely to be accompanied by new music.

— refinery29.com, "Why Did Miley Cyrus Delete Her Instagram Posts? Fans Have A Few Theories," 14 July 2018
Grande wrote on her Instagram Stories in late June, labeling a picture of her iPhone’s lock screen at 11:11 p.m. — which showed a smiling Davidson.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Pete Davidson Praises Ariana Grande's Topless Photo as Her Ex Mac Miller Raps About Lost Love," 13 July 2018
Illenium lends the dreamy horizons of his latest sounds, while Excision certainly bumps the drums as hard as the mood will allow.

— kat bein, Billboard, "Excision & Illenium Tease 'Gold (Stupid Love)' Collaboration: Hear the Sneak Peek," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'late.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of late

Middle English, late, slow, from Old English læt; akin to Old High German laz slow, Old English lǣtan to let

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

late Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of late

dead, defunct, deceased, departed, late mean devoid of life. dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (such as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life.

- a dead, listless performance

defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

- a defunct television series

deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently. deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

- the estate of the deceased

departed is used usually as a euphemism.

- our departed sister

late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

- the company's late president

late

adverb

later; latest

1 a : after the usual or proper time

got to work late

b : at or to an advanced point of time

2 : not long ago : recently

a writer late of Chicago

— of late

: in the period shortly or immediately preceding : recently

has been sick of late

See late defined for English-language learners

Examples of late in a Sentence

Late in the year he became ill.
It rained late in the day.
Late in his career he moved to the city.
a word first recorded late in the 17th century
They were trailing by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
The package should be arriving late next week.
He sent in his job application late.
They arrived too late for breakfast.
I like getting up late.
The package arrived late, but better late than never!

Recent Examples of late from the Web

Of late, their issues have been in the starting rotation, which has produced just two quality starts this month and none in the past week.

— nick piecoro, azcentral, "Diamondbacks' funk continues with loss to Rockies," 12 July 2018
Best in show comes more than one hour in: two late, knockout numbers featuring Lachrisa Grandberry as a Hollywood agent and Gabe’s girlfriend.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Door County theaters add stories and sparkle to summer nights," 11 July 2018
Watercolor crests and illustrations have been making the rounds as of late, transitioning from wedding suites to everyday correspondence cards.

— katie kiefner, Vogue, "Send All of Your Summer Thank You Notes on This Stunning Stationery," 10 July 2018
Judge Kavanaugh had been a front-runner as late as Saturday, but the fact that Mr. Trump hadn’t settled on him suggested his front-runner status had slipped by Sunday, several people familiar with the search said.

— louise radnofsky, WSJ, "Trump Settles on Supreme Court Selection, but Mum for Now," 9 July 2018
The new cabinet, announced late in the evening, was keenly awaited for an indication of what Mr. Erdogan plans with his newfound powers.

— New York Times, "Erdogan Begins New Term and Names His Son-in-Law Finance Minister," 9 July 2018
Much of that was due the low cost of each device; both Fire HD tablets have generally been seen as good values given how stagnant the non-iPad tablet market has been of late.

— jeff dunn, Ars Technica, "Amazon is turning its Fire tablets into portable Echo Shows," 28 June 2018
Over the following year, The Tonight Show’s ratings slipped as late-night hosts more critical of Trump, like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, saw gains.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Jimmy Fallon Can’t Ignore Donald Trump," 26 June 2018
The substitutes beat him late, a crowd willing them to push forward.

— sam mcdowell, kansascity, "Sporting KC scores twice in last five minutes for dramatic comeback win over Houston," 23 June 2018