/ leɪt; NAmE / adjective , adverb
■ adjective ( later , lat·est )
1.
[ only before noun ] near the end of a period of time, a person's life, etc. :
in the late afternoon
in late summer
She married in her late twenties (= when she was 28 or 29) .
In later life he started playing golf.
The school was built in the late 1970s.
OPP early
2.
[ not usually before noun ] arriving, happening or done after the expected, arranged or usual time :
I'm sorry I'm late.
She's late for work every day.
My flight was an hour late.
We apologize for the late arrival of this train.
Because of the cold weather the crops are later this year.
Interest will be charged for late payment.
Here is a late news flash.
OPP early
3.
near the end of the day :
Let's go home—it's getting late.
Look at the time—it's much later than I thought.
What are you doing up at this late hour ?
What is the latest time I can have an appointment?
I've had too many late nights recently (= when I've gone to bed very late) .
OPP early
4.
[ only before noun ] ( of a person ) no longer alive :
her late husband
the late Freddie Mercury
► late·ness / ˈleɪtnəs; NAmE / noun [ U ]:
They apologized for the lateness of the train.
Despite the lateness of the hour, the children were not in bed.
—see also later , latest
•
IDIOMS
- be too late
■ adverb ( comparative later , no superlative )
1.
after the expected, arranged or usual time :
I got up late.
Can I stay up late tonight?
She has to work late tomorrow.
The big stores are open later on Thursdays.
She married late.
The birthday card arrived three days late.
2.
near the end of a period of time, a person's life, etc. :
late in March / the afternoon
It happened late last century—in 1895 to be exact.
As late as (= as recently as) the 1950s, tuberculosis was still a fatal illness.
He became an author late in life .
3.
near the end of the day :
There's a good film on late.
Late that evening, there was a knock at the door.
Share prices fell early on but rose again late in the day.
—see also later
OPP early
•
IDIOMS
- better late than never
- late in the day
- late of ...
- of late
- too late
—more at soon
••
GRAMMAR
late / lately
Late and lately are both adverbs, but late is used with similar meanings to the adjective late , whereas lately can only mean 'recently':
We arrived two hours late.
•
I haven't heard from him lately.
Lately is usually used with a perfect tense of the verb.
Look also at the idioms be too late (at the adjective) and too late (at the adverb).
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English læt (adjective; also in the sense slow, tardy ), late (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to German lass , from an Indo-European root shared by Latin lassus weary and let .