late
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- overdue, behind, behindhand, belated, delayed, last-minute, tardy
- recent, advanced, fresh, modern, new
- dead, deceased, defunct, departed, former, past
[adverb]
Synonyms:
- belatedly, at the last minute, behindhand, behind time, dilatorily, tardily

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Antonyms: early, prompt, punctual
Contrasted words: opportune, seasonable, well-timed

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English Thesaurus: dead, lifeless, late, deceased, departed, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. late¹ S1 W1 /leɪt/ adjective (comparative later, superlative latest)
[Language: Old English; Origin: læt]

1. AFTER EXPECTED TIME arriving, happening, or done after the time that was expected, agreed, or arranged Antonym : early:
Sorry I’m late – I overslept.
ten minutes/two hours etc late
You’re half an hour late.
The train was even later than usual.
We apologize for the late departure of flight AZ709.
There are penalties if loan repayments are late.
late for
Cheryl was late for school.
late with
We’ve never been late with the rent.

2. NEAR THE END [only before noun] used to refer to the part near the end of a period of time Antonym : early:
a late eighteenth century building
Paul’s in his late forties.
in the late 1980s
By late afternoon, she had done 10 drawings.

3. be too late to arrive or do something after the time when something could or should have been done:
He shouted a warning but it was too late.
too late to do something
Are we too late to get tickets?
It was too late to turn back.

4. AFTER USUAL TIME happening or done after the usual or normal time:
a late breakfast
The harvest was late this year because of the rain.
She looked tired – too many late nights (=nights when she went to bed after the normal time).

5. EVENING near the end of a day:
the late movie
It’s late – I’d better go home.

6. DEAD [only before noun] dead
late husband/wife
Mrs. Moore’s late husband

7. late developer/bloomer
a) a child who develops socially, emotionally, or physically at a later age than other children
b) someone who does not become successful until they are older

8. it’s (a little/bit) late in the day (to do something) used to show disapproval because someone has done something too late:
It’s a bit late in the day to start having objections.

9. late of something formal used about someone who has died fairly recently:
Billy Hicks, late of this parish
—lateness noun [uncountable]:
penalties for lateness at work
despite the lateness of the hour

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. late² S2 W3 adverb (comparative later, superlative no superlative)

1. after the usual time:
The stores are open later on Thursdays.
Ellen has to work late tonight.
Can you stay late?

2. after the arranged or expected time Antonym : early
ten minutes/two hours etc late
The bus came ten minutes late.

3. too late after the time when something could or should have been done:
The advice came too late.

4. near to the end of a period of time or an event
late in
The wedding took place late in May.
It was not a place to walk in late at night.

5. as late as something used to express surprise that something considered old-fashioned was still happening so recently:
Capital punishment was still used in Britain as late as the 1950s.

6. of late formal recently:
Birth rates have gone down of late.

7. late in life if you do something late in life, you do it at an older age than most people do it

8. better late than never used to say that you are glad someone has done something, or to say that they should do something even though they are late
⇒ run late at run¹(39)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

late
adj.
VERBS be, feel, seem I don't know what the time is, but it feels quite late.
make sb
ADV. extremely, really, very | a bit, fairly, a little, quite, rather, relatively
PREP. for I'm late for work.
in He took up music late in life.
with He was now three weeks late with his rent.
PHRASES an hour, ten minutes, etc. late The train was 45 minutes late.
leave it a bit/rather/very late You've left it a bit late to start your homework, haven't you?

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

late
adjective
BAD: I often watch television until late night.
GOOD: I often watch television until late at night.
BAD: Even late in the night, the roads are very busy.
GOOD: Even late at night, the roads are very busy.

Usage Note:
late at night : 'Hedgehogs like to roam around late at night, when most other animals are asleep.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

dead no longer alive:
the bodies of three dead soldiers
Is her father dead?
lifeless literary dead or seeming to be dead:
their lifeless bodies
late [only before noun] formal dead – use this as a polite way of talking about someone who has died, especially recently:
Mrs Lombard’s late husband
a gold Cartier bracelet that once belonged to the late American artist Andy Warhol
deceased formal dead:
Her parents, now deceased, disapproved of her marriage.
her deceased husband
They were friends of the deceased (=the person who died).
departed [only before noun] dead – used in order to be polite and avoid saying the word ‘dead’:
They paid their respects to their departed uncle.
his dear departed wife
gone [not before noun] informal dead – used especially when someone was alive not long before:
‘Is she gone?’ ‘I’m afraid so.’
dead right/wrong
You’re dead wrong, so let me handle this.
dead straight/flat
The countryside around here is dead flat all the way to the sea.
dead quiet/calm/still
The room was dead quiet while we waited for Ted to reply.
dead drunk
He came home dead drunk in the middle of the night.
be dead (set) against something (=completely disapprove of or disagree with something)
I’d like to be an actress but Mum and Dad are dead set against it.
be dead set on something (=be determined to do something)
At the moment, Steve’s just dead set on winning the gold medal.
stop dead (in your tracks) (=suddenly stop moving completely)
She was so shocked that she stopped dead in her tracks.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

late arriving or happening after the time that was expected or arranged:
Sorry I’m late.
The bus was late.
Spring seems to be very late this year.
not on time not arriving or doing something at the time that was expected or arranged:
He never hands his homework in on time.
If we don’t leave on time, we’ll miss the flight.
overdue not done or happening by the expected time – used especially about payments that are late or library books that should have been returned:
Your rent is three weeks overdue.
I had to pay a £3 fine on some overdue library books.
be behind with something British English, be behind on something American English to be late in doing something that you have to do:
I can’t come out because I’m behind with my English essay.
be held up to be made late for a meeting, appointment etc by something that happens, especially by bad traffic:
I was held up by a traffic jam.
be delayed to be prevented from arriving, leaving, or happening at the expected time – often used about public transport:
The flight was delayed by bad weather.
belated /bɪˈleɪtəd, bɪˈleɪtɪd/ given or done late – used especially about something that someone has forgotten or failed to do:
a belated birthday card
I’m still hoping for a belated apology from him.
tardy especially American English formal arriving or happening late:
a habitually tardy person
a tardy decision
be in arrears /əˈrɪəz $ əˈrɪrz/ formal to have not made one or more regular payments at the time when you should:
One in eight mortgage payers are in arrears.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

late
leɪt
See: better late than never , of late

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲