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

But a spokesperson for the program’s operator, Lyft, said police officials informed the company Wednesday afternoon that the bike was not from the CitiBike fleet. —Michael Balsamo, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024

However, as of Wednesday afternoon caucus officials were unable to provide the list of the candidates running on Harris’ slate to reporters who were also kept from entering the building. —Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 4 Dec. 2024

Anderson made the announcement during a staff-wide meeting Wednesday afternoon. —Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 4 Dec. 2024

Biden will participate in the Lobito Corridor Trans-Africa Summit in the afternoon before departing Angola to return to the White House, arriving Thursday. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 4 Dec. 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