after all
adverb
1
: in spite of considerations or expectations to the contrary : nevertheless
decided to take the train after all
didn't rain after all
2
: in view of all circumstances
… literature which is after all only a special department of reading.—
W. W. Watt
W. W. WattExamples of after all in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This was, after all, the woman who had advised me not to hold her hand on the way to fifth grade because doing so would only increase my social isolation.
—Lena Dunham, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Unfortunately, since the book version of Project Hail Mary was published in 2021, scientists have determined that Tau Ceti probably doesn’t have planets in its habitable zone after all.
—Joanna Thompson, Space.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Who, after all, wants their childhood to end?
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026
Well, the scene was not so glamorous after all.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for after all
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Lena Dunham, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Unfortunately, since the book version of Project Hail Mary was published in 2021, scientists have determined that Tau Ceti probably doesn’t have planets in its habitable zone after all.
—Joanna Thompson, Space.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Who, after all, wants their childhood to end?
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026
Well, the scene was not so glamorous after all.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for after all
Cite this Entry
“After all.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/after%20all. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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