LATE definition: 1. (happening or being) near the end of a period of time: 2. (happening or arriving) after the…. Learn more. Find 92 different ways to say LATE, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com. Define late. late synonyms, late pronunciation, late translation, English dictionary definition of late. adj. lat·er , lat·est 1. a. Coming, occurring, continuing. The shift is not unusual in California, where every registered voter receives a mail ballot, and election officials continue counting ballots that arrive after Election Day if they are postmarked on time. Mail ballots lift Raman past Spencer Pratt in LA mayoral race Counties also must verify signatures and review provisional ballots before finalizing results. Raman gained more votes than Pratt. LATE definition: occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time: a late spring. See examples of late used in a sentence. late /leɪt/ adj., lat•er or lat•ter, lat•est or last /læst/ adv., lat•er, lat•est. adj. occurring after the usual or proper time: a late spring. continued until after the usual time or hour: a late business meeting. near or at the end of the day or well into the night: a late hour. most recent:[before a noun] Here is a late news bulletin. recently deceased:[before a noun] the late. Late means after the expected time, or at the end of a certain period of time. if you're late for a movie, you get to the theater after the film's already started. If you're a late sleeper, you make a habit of dozing long after your alarm goes off. The meaning of LATE is coming or remaining after the due, usual, or proper time. How to use late in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Late. Angelenos are stunned and furious after a dramatic late-vote surge by Nithya Raman upended what appeared to be Spencer Pratt’s clear path to the November runoff. A flood of late-counted ballots. These days, you can’t really deploy late in this way and expect your meaning to be understood. Still, similar senses relating to recent time remain current in late ’s derivatives—as in. late (comparative later, superlative latest) Near the end of a period of time.