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 of afternoon

• 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

As of Wednesday afternoon, the blaze has been fully contained. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 13 Nov. 2025

Attorneys for Morris could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Nov. 2025

Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri State bring their annual MIAA clash to Kansas City for the first time since 2019 on Saturday afternoon. —Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2025

After announcing the news that Escobedo had died on Tuesday afternoon, Kimmel used his monologue to pay tribute to his pal, who was 59. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 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