missed the boat

ADJECTIVE

late

Synonyms

STRONGEST

last-minute slow

WEAK

backward behind behind time behindhand belated blown delayed dilatory eleventh hour gone held up hung up in a bind in the lurch jammed lagging out of luck overdue postponed put off remiss stayed strapped tardy too late unpunctual

Antonyms

WEAK

antique early live old old-fashioned on time prompt punctual

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But Russia had in many ways missed the boat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The opportunities ahead — tokenization, spot ETFs, custody improvements — mean you haven’t missed the boat.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 16, 2025

I felt that maybe I’d missed the boat, but I found out how the technology had improved since then.

From New York Times • Feb. 11, 2024

I sat down to watch it the other day, wondering if it was too late for a review and if maybe I’d missed the boat.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 28, 2023

If she missed the boat she could live well until another year.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George