What does belate mean?
Belate is a verb meaning to make someone or something late — that is, to cause a delay. Formed from the prefix 'be-' combined with 'late', it functions as the direct verb form of a concept English speakers more commonly express through the adjective 'belated', as in a belated birthday card. The word is transitive: a traffic jam, a delayed flight, or an unforeseen errand may belate a traveller. It also carries an older, now largely archaic sense of simply being late oneself. Though rarely used in contemporary conversation and generally confined to formal or literary registers, belate is a perfectly legitimate English word with a history reaching back several centuries. Its rarity gives it charm: writers occasionally revive it for its crisp precision, since it names the act of imposing lateness on another person or thing rather than merely describing tardiness. For vocabulary enthusiasts, it offers an elegant alternative to 'delay' when the intent is specifically to render someone late.
verbTo make or cause someone or something to become late; to delay. In older use, it could also mean 'to be late' intransitively.
- To make or cause someone or something to become late; to delay.
- (Archaic/rare) To be late or come too late.
"The storm belated their arrival until well after midnight."
"The unexpected roadworks belated the wedding guests by nearly an hour."
"A missed connection belated the shipment of documents."
'Belate' is the rare verb behind the everyday word 'belated' — you've used its offspring without ever meeting the parent.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of belate
Belate derives from the Middle English prefix 'be-', meaning 'to make' or 'to affect with', joined to 'late', which comes from Old English 'læt' meaning slow or sluggish. The compound thus literally means 'to make late'. The verb has been recorded in English since at least the early modern period, and its far better-known derivative 'belated' — originally the past-participle adjective of belate, meaning overtaken by night or made late — became established as a standalone word. Cognates within English include 'late' itself and related forms such as 'lately' and 'lateness'.
Related word forms
How belate is actually used
Rare and somewhat formal or literary in modern usage; most speakers encounter it only through its derivative 'belated'. The transitive sense (to cause lateness) is the dominant one.
Easily confused with belate
Belay means to fasten a rope (in climbing/sailing) or, as an order, 'stop/halt', while belate means to make something or someone late.