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

• evening
• age
• autumn
• twilight

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

Williams — joined by family members, current and past KU coaches, players and support staff — on Tuesday afternoon cut the ribbon on the room that bears his name. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2025

Our afternoons delivered a heady dose of ABC after-school specials. —Glynnis MacNicol, Flow Space, 8 Oct. 2025

Tim Spiers set aside an afternoon (or five) to re-rank all 155 Premier League summer signings. —Phil Hay, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025

Derrick Groves, the final fugitive from a mass jailbreak in New Orleans in May, is now in custody after police in Atlanta surrounded a home in the city’s southwest on Wednesday afternoon. —Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for afternoon

• forenoon
• honeymoon
• laocoon
• opportune
• pantaloon
• picayune
• tablespoon
• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• buffoon

Kids Definition

afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 

: the part of day between noon and sunset

afternoon adjective