afterward

adverb

af·​ter·​ward ˈaf-tər-wərd 

ˈaf-tə-

variants or afterwards

ˈaf-tər-wərdz 

ˈaf-tə-

: at a later or succeeding time : subsequently, thereafter

found out about it long afterward

Synonyms of afterward

• later
• after
• thereafter

Examples of afterward in a Sentence

He found out about it long afterward.

Afterward, she got a promotion.

Recent Examples on the Web

Soon afterward, two more passengers sickened and died, and at least eight others were infected. —Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 24 May 2026

Kane broke the deadlock shortly afterward with a diving header to Michael Olise’s cross in the 55th minute. —ABC News, 23 May 2026

Shortly afterward, Senate Republicans abruptly left Washington without voting on a roughly $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies. —Eric Tucker, Fortune, 23 May 2026

That number jumped to 63 afterward, an increase of 284%. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English afterward "behind, in the rear, at a later time," going back to Old English æfterweard "behind, following," from æfter after entry 1 + -weard -ward entry 2; Middle English afterwardes, efterwardes "at a later time," from afterward + -es -s entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

afterward

adverb

af·​ter·​ward ˈaf-tə(r)-wərd 

variants or afterwards

-wərdz 

: at a later time