Which one is correct?
"we will be late for 10minutes" or "we will be late by 10minutes"?

Question

Which one is correct?
"we will be late for 10minutes" or "we will be late by 10minutes"?

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This phrase is used to indicate that the duration of lateness will be 10 minutes.

Examples:

We will be late for 10 minutes, so we might miss the beginning of the movie.
The flight was late for 10 minutes, causing a delay in the schedule.
The bus was late for 10 minutes, making passengers anxious.

Alternatives:

We will be 10 minutes late.
We will be delayed for 10 minutes.

This phrase is used to indicate that the lateness will be 10 minutes longer than expected.

Examples:

We will be late by 10 minutes due to traffic.
The meeting will start late by 10 minutes.
The train arrived late by 10 minutes.

Alternatives:

We will be 10 minutes late.
We will be delayed by 10 minutes.

Both phrases are commonly used, but they have slightly different meanings. 'We will be late by 10 minutes' implies that the lateness will be 10 minutes longer than expected, while 'We will be late for 10 minutes' suggests that the duration of lateness will be 10 minutes.

Last Updated: March 25, 2024