English UsageGrammar guide

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.

Quick answer

Use “late for” before an event, appointment, class, meeting, or other occasion someone does not reach on time.

Key details

Confusion Familyusage-construction
Rule Familyadjective or complement construction
Termslate 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.

  1. LATE FOR | English meaning — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct Cambridge dictionary evidence for the Late For construction.

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