# a day late and a dollar short

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/a-day-late-and-a-dollar-short
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect.

## Examples

- Your apology is a day late and a dollar short.
- He tried to fix the broken machine, but his efforts were a day late and a dollar short.
- The government finally passed the new safety regulations, but for the families affected by the disaster, the action was a day late and a dollar short.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.