after all

adverb

Synonyms of after allnext
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

Examples of after all in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This team, after all, wasn’t supposed to be at the ball this long. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026 Everything in this screen world is heightened, slightly off-kilter, but entirely plausible (with the exception being Ruby’s wretched body, still burning after all these years). Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 15 May 2026 Dogs have to be dogs, after all. Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 15 May 2026 But right up until the final moments of Starz’s long-running fantasy historical romantic drama, devoted viewers feared that their beloved 20th-century English combat nurse and 18th-century Scottish highland warrior were not going to get their happy ending after all. Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for after all

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of after all was in 1590

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Cite this Entry

“After all.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/after%20all. Accessed 18 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

after all

adverb
: in spite of what was indicated or expected
decided to go after all
it rained after all

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