# too little, too late

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/too-little-too-late
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Used as a predicate or a pro-sentence to indicate insufficiency.

## Examples

- The apology was too little, too late.
- He tried to fix the broken window after the rain, but it was too little, too late.
- The government finally offered a small tax cut, but for the struggling families, it was clearly too little, too late.

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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.