TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE Definition & Meaning

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too little, too late

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Idioms and Phrases

Inadequate as a remedy and not in time to be effective, as in The effort to divert the stream into a corn field was too little too late—the houses were already flooded . This term originated in the military, where it was applied to reinforcements that were insufficient and arrived too late to be of help. [First half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

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Robert Jenrick, the Conservative shadow justice secretary, said anything the government did now was "too little too late".

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"I know a statement has been issued with an apology, but I don't think that apology is worth anything truthfully. It's a bit too little, too late," Mr Quinton said.

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Italy would go on to get and score a penalty in stoppage time - but by then it was too little, too late.

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Conservative shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whatley said the changes were "too little, too late".

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Responding to the government's announcement on Tuesday, the Conservatives said the changes were "too little, too late" and needed to be "tougher".

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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