late summer

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The last part of summer, usually the weeks just before autumn begins.

   Grammar: Usually used with in: in late summer. Do not say 'a late summer' when you mean the period.

   Patterns

   • in late summer
   • late summer weather

   The beaches are quieter in late summer, after the school holidays end.

   In late summer the evenings start getting darker earlier.

   We always visit my grandparents in late summer.

2. 2nouncountable

   A summer that arrives or happens later than usual.

   Grammar: Here it is countable and often used before a noun: a late summer, a late summer heatwave.

   Patterns

   • a late summer
   • a late summer heatwave

   It was a late summer that year, so the crops were behind schedule.

   A late summer meant the swimming pool stayed open into September.

Common combinations

in late summer

The garden looks its best in late summer.

late summer heat

Late summer heat can still be intense in the south.

late summer evening

We sat outside on a warm late summer evening.

late summer months

August and September are the late summer months here.

Synonyms and how they differ

end of summer

More informal and less exact; it can mean the final days rather than the final weeks.

late August

Names a specific time rather than the general season, so it is more precise.

Opposites

Word family

midsummer noun

The middle part of summer, around late June.

summery adjective

Suitable for or typical of summer, as in summery weather.

Commonly confused: late summer or late-summer?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “late summer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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