afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 

1

: the part of day between noon and sunset

2

: a relatively late period (as of time or life)

in the afternoon of the 19th century

afternoon adjective

Synonyms

• afterlife
• age
• autumn
• evening

Examples of afternoon in a Sentence

morning, afternoon, evening, and night

I'll see you again tomorrow afternoon.

It was early afternoon when I left.

She spent the afternoon at the library.

I remember the many rainy afternoons I spent reading at the library.

She doesn't have class on Friday afternoons.

It took us all afternoon to get there.

It's going to be a long afternoon listening to lectures.

Recent Examples on the Web

The weather service said that thunderstorms are expected to fire up along a cold front in eastern and southeastern Nebraska in the afternoon and move southeastward through the evening as the cold front pushes through the area. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2024

The Indy 500 was expected to begin in the early afternoon on May 26, allowing Larson to run the race and travel to Concord in time for the start of the Coke 600. —Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2024

The Sacramento Bee reached out to Sunrise Village representatives for comment but had not received a response as of Monday afternoon. —Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 4 June 2024

Marsh is being held at the federal detention center in Miami as of Tuesday afternoon. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English afternone, from after- after- + none noon

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing afternoon

• good afternoon
• make a day/night/morning/afternoon/evening of it
• the other day/night/morning/afternoon/evening
• this afternoon

Kids Definition

afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 

: the part of day between noon and sunset

afternoon adjective