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 Huskies arrived back to campus Saturday afternoon and spent about 24 hours apart before returning to the gym on Sunday afternoon for some shooting. —Tim Casey, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025

Their next game is Thursday at the Columbus Blue Jackets, so the team is flying back to South Florida on Monday and will leave for Columbus on Wednesday afternoon. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2025

His wife and manager, Connie Young, announced that her husband had died at home in Aiken, South Carolina on Sunday afternoon. —Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Mar. 2025

The boy’s identity was not yet publicly available as of Monday afternoon. —Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 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