What does "late" mean?

1. (after the expected time) happening or arriving after the time that was planned or expected. 2. (near the end of a period) happening near the end of a day, a year, or a person's life. 3. (deceased) a polite way to talk about someone who has died recently. 4. (past the scheduled time) doing something after the time it should have been done. 5. (a work shift) a period of work that happens in the evening or at night.

How do you use "late"?

This sense is attributive only; it must appear before the noun (e.g., 'the late Mr. Smith') and cannot follow a verb.

Is it correct to say "I am lately for the meeting."?

No — say "I am late for the meeting.". 'Lately' means 'recently'. Use 'late' as the adjective to describe being behind schedule.

late

adj. · adv. · n.

US //ˈɫeɪt// UK //lˈeɪt// late

1 after the expected time (adj.)
A1 Beginner

happening or arriving after the time that was planned or expected.

occurring, arriving, or happening after the scheduled, expected, or usual time.

Example

I am sorry I am late for the lesson; the bus was delayed by traffic.

Example

The project manager expressed frustration when the lead architect arrived late to the final briefing, citing a minor scheduling conflict.
- tardy
- delayed
- overdue
- early
- punctual
Pitfall

I am lately for the meeting.

I am late for the meeting.

'Lately' means 'recently'. Use 'late' as the adjective to describe being behind schedule.
2 near the end of a period (adj.)
A2 Elementary

happening near the end of a day, a year, or a person's life.

occurring or situated near the end of a particular interval of time or a historical period.

Example

We went for a walk in the late afternoon when the sun was lower.

Example

The late nineteenth century saw a rapid expansion of railway networks across the continent, fundamentally altering trade routes.
- final
- closing
- early

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3 deceased (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

a polite way to talk about someone who has died recently.

used euphemistically to refer to a person who is deceased, typically preceded by 'the' or a possessive pronoun.

Example

The late king was well-loved by all the people in his country.

Example

In her moving tribute, the professor spoke warmly of her late colleague's contributions to the field of linguistics.

Usage

This sense is attributive only; it must appear before the noun (e.g., 'the late Mr. Smith') and cannot follow a verb.
- deceased
- departed
- living
4 past the scheduled time (adv.)
A1 Beginner

doing something after the time it should have been done.

at a point in time after the expected or usual hour; behind schedule.

Example

He stayed up late to finish his homework before the deadline.

Example

The flight arrived so late that the passengers missed their connecting flight to Singapore.
- tardily
- behindhand
- early
5 a work shift (n.)
B1 Intermediate Informal

a period of work that happens in the evening or at night.

a scheduled period of work occurring late in the day or during the night.

Example

I can't come to the party because I'm working the late tonight.

Example

Hospital staff often prefer the late because it allows them to handle personal errands during daylight hours.
- night shift
- evening shift
- early

Origin

From Middle English late, lat, from Old English læt (“slow; slack, lax, negligent; late”), from Proto-West Germanic lat, from Proto-Germanic lataz (“slow, lazy”). By surface analysis, deverbal from let. Cognates Cognate with Yola laate (“late”), North Frisian leed, leet, lääs (“late”), Saterland Frisian leet (“late”), Dutch, German Low German laat (“late, tardy”), Danish lad (“languid, lazy, indolent”), Faroese, Icelandic latur (“lazy”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish lat (“lazy”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐍄𐍃 (lats, “lazy, slothful”).

Idioms9 entries