late

late¹ W1S1 [leıt] adj comparative later superlative latest

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

1¦(after expected time)¦

2¦(near the end)¦

3 be too late

4¦(after usual time)¦

5¦(evening)¦

6¦(dead)¦

7 late developer/bloomer

8 it's (a little/bit) late in the day (to do something)

9 late of something

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[: Old English; Origin: lAt]

1.) ¦(AFTER EXPECTED TIME)¦

arriving, happening, or done after the time that was expected, agreed, or arranged

≠ ↑early

▪ Sorry I'm late - I overslept.

ten minutes/two hours etc late

▪ You're half an hour late.

▪ The train was even later than usual.

▪ We apologize for the late departure of flight AZ709.

▪ There are penalties if loan repayments are late.

late for

▪ Cheryl was late for school.

late with

▪ We've never been late with the rent.

2.) ¦(NEAR THE END)¦ [only before noun]

used to refer to the part near the end of a period of time

≠ ↑early

▪ a late eighteenth century building

▪ Paul's in his late forties.

▪ in the late 1980s

▪ By late afternoon, she had done 10 drawings.

3.) be too late

to arrive or do something after the time when something could or should have been done

▪ He shouted a warning but it was too late .

too late to do sth

▪ Are we too late to get tickets?

▪ It was too late to turn back.

4.) ¦(AFTER USUAL TIME)¦

happening or done after the usual or normal time

▪ a late breakfast

▪ The harvest was late this year because of the rain.

▪ She looked tired - too many late nights (=nights when she went to bed after the normal time) .

5.) ¦(EVENING)¦

near the end of a day

▪ the late movie

▪ It's late - I'd better go home.

6.) ¦(DEAD)¦ [only before noun]

dead

late husband/wife

▪ Mrs. Moore's late husband

7.) late developer/bloomer

a) a child who develops socially, emotionally, or physically at later age than other children

b) someone who does not become successful until they are older

8.) it's (a little/bit) late in the day (to do sth)

used to show disapproval because someone has done something too late

▪ It's a bit late in the day to start having objections.

9.) late of sth

formal used about someone who has died fairly recently

▪ Billy Hicks, late of this parish

>lateness n [U]

▪ penalties for lateness at work

▪ despite the lateness of the hour

late ²

late² W3S2 adv comparative later superlative no superlative

1.) after the usual time

▪ The stores are open later on Thursdays.

▪ Ellen has to work late tonight.

▪ Can you stay late?

2.) after the arranged or expected time

≠ ↑early

ten minutes/two hours etc late

▪ The bus came ten minutes late.

3.) too late

after the time when something could or should have been done

▪ The advice came too late.

4.) near to the end of a period of time or an event

late in

▪ The wedding took place late in May.

▪ It was not a place to walk in late at night .

5.) as late as sth

used to express surprise that something considered old-fashioned was still happening so recently

▪ Capital punishment was still used in Britain as late as the 1950s.

6.) of late

formal recently

▪ Birth rates have gone down of late.

7.) late in life

if you do something late in life, you do it at an older age than most people do it

8.) better late than never

used to say that you are glad someone has done something, or to say that they should do something even though they are late

→run late at ↑run¹ (39)