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

For about 90 minutes Monday afternoon, Weisenburger and other Catholic and Jewish leaders walked through the harrowing exhibits at the center, on the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust during World War II. —Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 21 Aug. 2025

Minutes from the last policy meeting are due in the afternoon, and investors will get a glimpse into how the discussion over keeping rates unchanged went and what could flip some members towards a rate cut next month. —Medora Lee, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025

Melrose Film Festival: An afternoon of short film screenings and a filmmaker Q&A panel. —Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2025

On the afternoon of our final class, the chummy feeling of the last day of school was in the air. —Chandler Fritz, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 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