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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Coming, occurring, or remaining after the correct, usual, or expected time; delayed: The bus is late. See Synonyms at tardy.
  2. adj. Beginning after or continuing past the usual or expected hour: a late breakfast; a late meeting.
  3. adj. Occurring at an advanced hour, especially well into the evening or night: a late movie on television; the late flight to Denver.
  4. adj. Of or toward the end or more advanced part, as of a period or stage: the late 19th century; a later symptom of the disease.
  5. adj. Having begun or occurred just previous to the present time; recent: a late development.
  6. adj. Contemporary; up-to-date: the latest fashion.
  7. adj. Having recently occupied a position or place: the company's late president gave the address.
  8. adj. Dead, especially if only recently deceased: in memory of the late explorer.
  9. adv. After the expected, usual, or proper time: a train that arrived late; woke late and had to skip breakfast.
  10. adv. At or until an advanced hour: talked late into the evening.
  11. adv. At or into an advanced period or stage: a project undertaken late in her career.
  12. adv. Recently: As late as last week he was still in town.
  13. idiom. of late Recently; lately: was feeling better of late.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Coming, appearing, or continuing after the usual or proper time; slow or tardy; long delayed; prolonged; behind time: opposed to early: as, a late arrival; a late summer; a late embryo.
  2. Being or coming near the end or close; far advanced in time; last: as, a late hour of the day; a late period of life; set the latest time you can.
  3. Recent; of recent origin or existence; not of old date: as, the latest fashion; late news.
  4. Comparatively recent (with reference to something older); of a comparatively recent date or period: as, late (medieval) glass; late (Greek) sculpture or epigraphy.
  5. Recently existing, but not now; not long past: as, the late rains.
  6. Recently acting; in a series, immediately preceding that which now exists: as, the late administration.
  7. Deceased.
  8. Synonyms Recent, Fresh, etc. See new.
  9. After the usual time or the time appointed; after delay: as, fruits that ripen late.
  10. Not long since; recently; of late.
  11. Beyond the usual or proper time: as, to lie abed late.
  12. See lait.
  13. A Middle English form of let.
  14. n. Manner; behavior.
  15. n. A sound; voice.
  16. Slow or backward in bearing crops, because heavy, clayey, cold, sour, or unfavorably situated as regards the sun, or the like: as, late land.

Wiktionary

  1. n. Manner; behaviour; outward appearance or aspect.
  2. n. A sound; voice.
  3. n. A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place late in the day or at night.
  4. adj. Near the end of a period of time.
  5. adj. Specifically, near the end of the day.
  6. adj. Associated with the end of a period.
  7. adj. Not arriving until after an expected time.
  8. adj. Deceased, dead: used particularly when speaking of the dead person's actions while alive. (Often used with term; see usage notes.)
  9. adj. Recent -- relative to the noun it modifies.
  10. adv. After a deadline has passed, past a designated time.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adj. Coming after the time when due, or after the usual or proper time; not early; slow; tardy; long delayed.
  2. adj. Far advanced toward the end or close
  3. adj. Existing or holding some position not long ago, but not now; recently deceased, departed, or gone out of office
  4. adj. Not long past; happening not long ago; recent.
  5. adj. Continuing or doing until an advanced hour of the night
  6. adv. After the usual or proper time, or the time appointed; after delay; ; -- opposed to early.
  7. adv. Not long ago; lately.
  8. adv. Far in the night, day, week, or other particular period

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
  2. adv. at an advanced age or stage
  3. adj. (used especially of persons) of the immediate past
  4. adj. of the immediate past or just previous to the present time
  5. adv. later than usual or than expected
  6. adj. after the expected or usual time; delayed.
  7. adv. to an advanced time
  8. adv. in the recent past
  9. adj. of a later stage in the development of a language or literature; used especially of dead languages
  10. adj. having died recently
  11. adj. at or toward an end or late period or stage of development

Etymologies

  1. Middle English, from Old English læt; see lē- in Indo-European roots.

Examples

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Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘late’.

Comments

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  • plethora Oh, Pro. We've all been there. Dec 9, 2009

  • Prolagus I can't believe I forgot I had class this morning. I'm on the train right now (9.30), and my class started at 9. Dec 9, 2009

  • bilby "'They go wrong, these parachute jumps,' said the apprentice, as if he had picked up the direction of her thoughts. 'There was a man in the Botswana Defence Force whose parachute didn't open. That man is late now.'"
    - 'The Full Cupboard of Life', Alexander McCall Smith. Mar 18, 2008

‘late’ has been looked up 2442 times, added to 16 lists, commented on 3 times, and has a Scrabble score of 4.