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

• afterlife
• age
• autumn
• evening

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

The afternoon was a success—even if Naomi Klein herself never showed. —Jane Bua, New Yorker, 9 June 2025

Multiple agencies worked together to scour the area for survivors Sunday afternoon and evening. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025

Several people are injured after a skydiving plane crashed in Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, according to the Tullahoma Police Department. —Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2025

In a minor way, pre-race, that popularity also fogged in the money on the day of the race at the track, which, as predicted here, wavered slightly as the afternoon wore on but ultimately ticked over to establish Journalism as the fractional favorite at post time. —Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025

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
• laocoon
• opportune
• pantaloon
• picayune
• tablespoon
• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• buffoon

Kids Definition

afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 

: the part of day between noon and sunset

afternoon adjective