after hours

1 of 2

phrase

: after the regular quitting or closing time

after-hours

2 of 2

adjective

af·​ter-hours ˌaf-tər-ˈau̇(-ə)rz 

: engaged in or operating after a legal or conventional closing time

after-hours drinking

an after-hours club

Examples of after hours in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Phrase

Many utilities operate with small staffs, so remote connections allow an employee to monitor a distant pump or tank, receive an alarm after hours or let a vendor diagnose equipment without traveling to every site. — William Akoto, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026

Nate and Nelson said the late-night catch was a thrill after hours of seeking far more common brown sharks. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

Adjective

In the meantime, relatively strong iPhone and Mac sales in this quarter didn’t stop Apple’s stock value from sliding around eight percent in after-hours trading. — Samuel Axon, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2026

Microsoft's Azure engine Microsoft shares jumped more than 8% in after-hours trading after Azure surpassed $100 billion in annual revenue for the first time, up 33% from last year. — Diane Brady, Fortune, 30 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Phrase

1781, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1892, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for after hours

• devours
• empowers
• sunflowers
• bowers
• flours
• flowers
• gowers
• ours
• scours
• showers
• sours
• towers