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

He was scheduled to work Friday afternoon but didn’t show up, co-worker Emmanuel Pichardo told the Daily News. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025

The small commuter aircraft carrying nine passengers and one pilot took off from Unalakleet on Thursday afternoon before disappearing. —Andrew Torgan, CNN, 9 Feb. 2025

Despite this mornings fog, a dry afternoon is forecast in Central Florida on Saturday, Spectrum News 3 meteorologist Zach Covey said. —Elainie Barraza, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2025

The lockout continued until Friday afternoon, when city leaders said their access was restored without any immediate explanation from federal officials. —John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 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

Kids Definition

afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 

: the part of day between noon and sunset

afternoon adjective