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 readingW. W. Watt

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web And say thanks for raising you—after all, mom raised you to be polite. Christopher Michel, Country Living, 19 Mar. 2023 This is a teaser experience, after all, with full days spent in port, but so much more to explore in outlying areas. Lori A. May, Chron, 19 Mar. 2023 The Tigers, after all, will be playing in their home state, just a two-hour drive from their campus in east Alabama. Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 18 Mar. 2023 That’s the title of her latest earworm hit single, after all. Lisa Respers France, CNN, 18 Mar. 2023 Metal detectors can be great fun—hunting for treasure is, after all, an exciting hobby with the lure of finding potential riches (or just a cool old coin or rare bottle cap). Bobbi Dempsey, Popular Mechanics, 17 Mar. 2023 Blogs at the time praised Dewey’s flirtatiousness, after all. Katherine Cross, WIRED, 17 Mar. 2023 The big takeaway from that complaint isn’t necessarily the substance; Trump, after all, faced a slew of ethics complaints ahead of his announcement. Ben Kamisar, NBC News, 16 Mar. 2023 The team itself was – and perhaps its creation helped spark championship Atlanta magic after all. Gary Trust, Billboard, 16 Mar. 2023 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'after all.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Dictionary Entries Near after all

Cite this Entry

“After all.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/after%20all. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

after all

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

More from Merriam-Webster on after all

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