afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 

1

: the part of day between noon and sunset

2

: a relatively late period (as of time or life)

in the afternoon of the 19th century

afternoon adjective

Synonyms of afternoon

• evening
• age
• autumn
• twilight

Examples of afternoon in a Sentence

morning, afternoon, evening, and night

I'll see you again tomorrow afternoon.

It was early afternoon when I left.

She spent the afternoon at the library.

I remember the many rainy afternoons I spent reading at the library.

She doesn't have class on Friday afternoons.

It took us all afternoon to get there.

It's going to be a long afternoon listening to lectures.

Recent Examples on the Web

Expect a steady opener from Caleb Williams, a strong afternoon from Colston Loveland and a timely takeaway from Jaylon Johnson. — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Prasad and his attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon. — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Winds out of the northwest will rush in across Northern California, gusting up to 20 mph Friday afternoon and up to 30 mph Saturday afternoon and evening. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett criticized Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s feature doc NAZA in a lengthy X post Friday afternoon following the film’s buzzy debut at the Venice Film Festival. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English afternone, from after- after- + none noon

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing afternoon

• good afternoon
• make a day/night/morning/afternoon/evening of it
• the other day/night/morning/afternoon/evening
• this afternoon

Rhymes for afternoon

• forenoon
• honeymoon
• importune
• laocoon
• opportune
• pantaloon
• picayune
• tablespoon
• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon

Kids Definition

afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 

: the part of day between noon and sunset

afternoon adjective