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

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 | [e-mail], 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

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Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

after all

adverb

: in spite of what was indicated or expected

decided to go after all

it rained after all