Meaning & use

late

adjective·Everyday

Happening or arriving after the expected, usual, or agreed time.

See it in a sentence

The train was late again, arriving nearly twenty minutes behind schedule.

Guests arriving late were quietly seated in the back of the theater.

A note on using this word

Late before a name, as in the late Queen, is a polite way of referring to someone who has died.

Words with a similar meaning

overduedelayedtardy

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Another way to use it

2. adjective

No longer living; deceased.

Her late grandfather used to tell stories about growing up on a farm.

Make it your own

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