aftermath

play

noun af·ter·math \ -ˌmath \

Definition of aftermath

1 :a second-growth crop — called also rowen

2 :consequence, result

stricken with guilt as an aftermath of the accident

3 :the period immediately following a usually ruinous event

in the aftermath of the war

See aftermath defined for English-language learners

See aftermath defined for kids

aftermath was our Word of the Day on 12/24/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of aftermath in a Sentence

the surgery was successful, but she now had to deal with its aftermath: a huge bill

Recent Examples of aftermath from the Web

In the aftermath, Hoskins set aside his own grief in subservience to that of his younger sister, Meloria.

— dave sheinin, chicagotribune.com, "Amid historically bad Phillies season, Rhys Hoskins is smashing records and chasing Ted Williams," 30 Aug. 2017
In the aftermath, a coalition of hospitals, emergency medical services, fire departments and community leaders undertook intensive efforts to fortify the city’s medical system.

— laurie mcginley, Washington Post, "Some hospitals evacuated, but Houston’s medical world mostly withstands Harvey," 30 Aug. 2017
Having a good, well-rounded family emergency plan and some basic emergency supplies in place can put your mind at ease and go a long way to making the aftermath of an unexpected event more bearable.

— rebecca mcbane, South Florida Parenting, "Don't Wait for the Storm: The most important step in a Family Emergency Plan is to make one," 30 Aug. 2017
Elsewhere in the storm's immediate aftermath, the Coast Guard had rescued 20 people from boats and barges in distress, said Capt.

— howard koplowitz, AL.com, "Minor earthquake recorded in northeast Alabama; 8th in region this year," 27 Aug. 2017
The death of this young man was a tragic and unintentional accident, made worse by the lives being ruined in the aftermath.

— New York Times, "The 8.13 Issue," 25 Aug. 2017
At its essence, the film is kind of Scorsese light; a grimy crime drama in which Connie and Nick try to rob a bank, but in the aftermath Nick gets arrested.

— moira macdonald, The Seattle Times, "‘Good Time’ review: Strong performance from Robert Pattinson holds film together — mostly," 23 Aug. 2017
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley had the Confederate flag removed from that state's capitol in the aftermath.

— phillip m. bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Matt Bevin calls removal of Confederate monuments 'sanitization of history'," 15 Aug. 2017
Jessica Huseman, a reporter for ProPublica and passenger on the aircraft, said the crew just handed out drinks, causing a huge mess in the aftermath.

— darren orf, Popular Mechanics, "American Airlines Flight Hits Severe Turbulence, Ten People Injured," 7 Aug. 2017

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

Breaking Down aftermath

Aftermath dates to the late 1400s and was originally an agricultural term. Its two parts are transparent—but only if you're familiar with an ancient word math that is now used only in British dialectal English and that means "a mowing of a grass or hay crop" and also refers to the crop that is gathered. The original aftermath came, of course, after the math: it was historically the crop of (usually) grass cut, grazed, or plowed under after the first crop of the season from the same soil. It wasn't until the mid-late 1600s that aftermath developed its other meanings, both of which are now far more common than the first.