very late

Meanings

1. 1adverb

   At a time much later than usual, expected, or planned.

   Grammar: Acts as an adverbial phrase; it can stand at the end of a clause or before the verb for emphasis.

   Patterns

   • arrive very late
   • be very late for something
   • very late at night

   She arrived very late for the meeting and missed the first item.

   We stayed up very late talking about old times.

   The train was very late, so we waited on the cold platform.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Happening or being at an advanced point in a period of time, especially at night.

   Grammar: Used before a noun to describe a time: 'very late hours', 'a very late dinner'.

   Patterns

   • very late hour
   • very late dinner
   • at a very late stage

   He often works into the very late hours of the night.

   They had a very late dinner after the show.

   At this very late stage, changing the plan would be difficult.

Common combinations

very late at night

The phone rang very late at night.

very late in the day

It's very late in the day to start a new project.

very late notice

They canceled the event at very late notice.

very late arrival

His very late arrival disturbed everyone.

Synonyms and how they differ

late

Simply 'late' means after the expected time; 'very late' stresses that it is much later than expected.

belated

Used mainly for greetings or actions that come after the proper time, and is more formal than 'very late'.

Opposites

Word family

lateness noun

The state of being late.

lately adverb

Recently; not related to being late for an appointment.

Commonly confused: very late or lately?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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