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

While wind conditions around Big Bear Lake weren't necessarily high on Friday afternoon, there were reports of strong gusts in the Lucerne Valley, where there's a main SCE line that feeds BVES the majority of its power. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 27 June 2026

September 23 – October 22 The afternoon favors thoughtful, fair conversations. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2026

Even before the eight competitors started their first 45-second run on the park course, hundreds of fans lined the arena and the crowd only grew into the afternoon. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 27 June 2026

This part of the deal appears to come naturally to Chavarria, who returned to Paris on Friday afternoon for his fourth season at the Men’s Fashion Week. — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 27 June 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