# better late than never

idiom · CEFR B1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/better-late-than-never
Updated: 2026-06-07

## Meaning

Better to arrive late than not to come at all

## Examples

- You finally finished the report; better late than never.
- The train arrived two hours behind schedule, but since I really needed to get home, I figured it was better late than never.
- Although the government took years to address the environmental crisis, the new laws were welcomed by activists who believed it was better late than never.

## Origin

Ancient proverb; appears in Livy's History of Rome ('potius sero quam numquam') and in English in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (c. 1386).

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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.