(~r, ~st)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
Late means near the end of a day, week, year, or other period of time.
It was ~ in the afternoon...
She had to work ~ at night...
His autobiography was written ~ in life...
The case is expected to end ~ next week...
? early
ADV: ADV with cl, ADV prep/n
•
Late is also an adjective.
The talks eventually broke down in ~ spring...
He was in his ~ 20s.
...the ~ 1960s.
ADJ: ADJ n
2.
If it is ~, it is near the end of the day or it is past the time that you feel something should have been done.
It was very ~ and the streets were deserted...
We’ve got to go now. It’s getting ~.
ADJ: v-link ADJ
~ness
A large crowd had gathered despite the ~ness of the hour.
N-UNCOUNT
3.
Late means after the time that was arranged or expected.
Steve arrived ~...
The talks began some fifteen minutes ~...
We got up ~.
ADV: ADV after v, oft amount ADV
•
Late is also an adjective.
His campaign got off to a ~ start...
We were a little ~...
The train was 40 minutes ~...
He’s a half hour ~.
ADJ: oft amount ADJ
~ness
He apologised for his ~ness.
N-UNCOUNT
4.
Late means after the usual time that a particular event or activity happens.
We went to bed very ~...
He married ~.
ADV: ADV after v
•
Late is also an adjective.
They had a ~ lunch in a cafe...
He was a very ~ developer.
ADJ: ADJ n
5.
You use ~ when you are talking about someone who is dead, especially someone who has died recently.
...my ~ husband.
...the ~ Mr Parkin.
ADJ: det ADJ
6.
Someone who is ~ of a particular place or institution lived or worked there until recently. (FORMAL)
...Cousin Zachary, ~ of Bellevue Avenue.
...Strobe Talbott, ~ of Time magazine.
ADJ: v-link ADJ of n
7.
see also ~r , ~st
8.
If you say better ~ than never when someone has done something, you think they should have done it earlier.
It’s been a long time coming but better ~ than never.
CONVENTION
9.
If you say that someone is doing something ~ in the day, you mean that their action or behaviour may not be fully effective because they have waited too long before doing it.
I’d left it all too ~ in the day to get anywhere with these strategies.
PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR with cl
10.
If an action or event is too ~, it is useless or ineffective because it occurs after the best time for it.
It was too ~ to turn back...
We realized too ~ that we were caught like rats in a trap.
PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR with v
11.
a ~ night: see night