too late He tried to warn them of the danger; but it was too late - they had already left.
work late (=stay at work till later than usual) I'm afraid I'll have to work late again tomorrow.
get up late {=get out of bed late in the morning) It's really nice to get up late on Saturday mornings.
a late break/ast/lunch etc («later than usual)
overdue /,3ov3r,dju:«||-du:«/ [adj] use this
LATE/NOT LATE
about payments that are late or library books that you give back later than you should: I must take these books back to the library - they're overdue.
three weeks/two months etc overdue
The rent's three weeks overdue.
be behind with Sth /bi: bihamd wid (sth),' [phrasa/ verb T) if you are behind with your work, you have done less of it
than you should have done: I have got to stay late tonight - I'm a little behind with my work.
to make something happen later or more slowly
be delayed /bi: drleid/ if an event or person is delayed, there is a problem that makes it happen later than it should, or take longer than it should: President Chirac's visit had to be delayed because of security problems. be delayed for 5 hours/2 months etc The opening of the new bridge may be delayed for several months. + by The start of the game was delayed by bad weather.
hold up .haold 'лр [phrasa/ verb T] to make something happen late, or make it happen more siowly than it should hold up sth Protesters held up work on the new road.
be held up by sth The peace talks are being held up by continued fighting on the border.
?
hold sb up They should have finished that job on Friday - what's holding them
up:
something that makes you late
delay di'lei, [n С] a situation in which you get delayed: There were the usual delays at the border, but otherwise we had a good journey.
long delay The strike is causing long delays at airports.
delay in doing sth There have been a lot of complaints about delays in issuing passports.
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hold-up /ЪэоШ лр/ [n С] a delay that is unexpected but not very serious: traffic hold-ups I There's been a hold-up with the builders, so the new office won't be ready until next month.
И not late
on time /on taim at the time that was expected or planned: The work must be completed on time.
be on time (-arrive at the expected time) Fortunately the train was on time.
punctual /'pAi]ktJuDl/ \adj] someone who
is punctual is never late or not usually late: I'm worried. Pat's not here yet, and she's usually so punctual.
Ш late at night
late /leit [adj/adv\ late at night: I must go home now, it's getting late. I I don't like coming home late to an empty house.
stay up late (=not go to bed until late) We usually let the children stay up late on Saturday evenings.
have a late night (=when you go to bed very late) I'm really tired today - I had a late night last night.
in the middle of the night /in Лд
,midl 3v fta naity late at night when most people are asleep: I woke up in the middle of the night.
LATER/ AT A LATER TIME
^ if you mean 'see you later', go to
33 saying goodbye
see also after
II at a later time
later /'leitsr/ [adu] not now, or not at the time you are talking about, but some time after this: Sorry, I'm busy right now - I'll speak to you later. I We heard later that he had gone back to Japan. a month/two weeks/three years etc
later She became ill in 1993, and died two years later.
much later (=a bng time later) / didn 't find out the truth until much later, later that day/month/year etc Later that afternoon, Arrnc called bv to see me.
later in the day/month/gear etc I spoke to him again later in the afternoon.
later [adj only before noun] The meat can be frozen and used at a later date. I In a later speech, Reagan admitted he had been wrong.
later on ,leit3r Ъп at a later time during the same period, day, week etc: The weather was fine at first, but later on it started to rain. 1 Later on, I'll be interviewing the Vice-President, but first here is a summary of the news.
in /ш [preposition] use this to say how far ahead in the future something will happen in a minute/24 hours/a week etc I'll be back in a couple of days. I The doctor would (ike to see you again in two weeks.
in an hour's time/a few minutes' time
etc Just think, in a few hours' time we'll be in Seattle.
from now Тгзт 'пао/ 24 hours/а week/ 100 years etc from now at a future time 24 hours from now, a week from now etc: Three weeks from now the exams will be over. I A hundred years from now there
may be no rainforest left.
after /'u:ft3r||'Јf-/ (preposition] use this to talk about something that happened in the past, and to say how much later than another event it happened after two days fa week/a while etc After a while, we got tired of waiting and went home. ! She left the hospital in January, and the doctor saw her again after two weeks.
Q to decide to do something later
postpone /paos'poun/ (и T] to change the time when something was planned to happen, and arrange for it to happen later: They decided to postpone the wedding until Pam's mother was out of the hospital. I Several of today's football games have been postponed because of heavy snow.
put off pot Df]|-D:f' [phrasa/ verb T) to decide to do something later than you planned to do it, for example because
there is a problem or because you do not
want to do it now
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LATER/AT A LATER TIME
put sth off I really should go to the dentist, but I keep putting it off.
LAUGH 422
put off sth The concert's been put off till next week.