Late For: Standard Pattern
Late For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use “late for” before an event, appointment, class, meeting, or other occasion someone does not reach on time.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| event, appointment, class, meeting, occasion | late for + event | Use “for” before the occasion someone fails to reach on time. |
| time itself | late + time expression / other construction | Do not force “for” when the complement is not an event or occasion. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the event or appointment someone did not reach on time?
If yes: Use “late for.”
If no: Use a different time construction if you are not naming the occasion.
Caveat: This guide covers the event/occasion pattern; “late” participates in other constructions too.
Examples
We were late for the meeting.
The meeting is the missed-on-time occasion.
She was late for class again.
“For” introduces the event/occasion.
He apologized for being late for his appointment.
The appointment follows “late for.”
Further guidance
Construction
Use “late for” before an event, appointment, class, meeting, or other occasion someone does not reach on time.
Style Boundary
Cambridge directly documents “late for”; this guide does not claim that all temporal uses of “late” take for.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- LATE FOR | English meaning — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct Cambridge dictionary evidence for the Late For construction.