too late
Used to indicate that something is ineffective or useless because it happens after the best time for it.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I wanted to buy tickets, but it was too late.”
“He tried to apologize for the argument, but she told him it was too late to fix things.”
“By the time the government finally decided to intervene in the economic crisis, it was too late to prevent the market from collapsing.”
- 01
a day late and a dollar short
Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect.
- 02
as of late
Lately; recently.
- 03
fashionably late
Arriving behind time to an event which does not normally require one to be punctual.
- 04
get late
To approach nighttime.
- 05
late model
Recently designed or fabricated; new.
- 06
late to the party
Late in taking an action or adopting an idea.
- 07
run late
To be late; to fail to be on time.
- 08
too little, too late
Used as a predicate or a pro-sentence to indicate insufficiency.
Last updated August 10, 2026