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

One of the three bridges was hit again on Friday afternoon, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said. — Hanna Arhirova, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

As of Friday afternoon, the pedestrian was in critical condition. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026

By Thursday afternoon, all the chalk graffiti had been washed off the walls of the building. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026

The publication reports Buffett moved ahead of Amancio Ortega Thursday afternoon after a month-long decline of almost 8% for the shares of Inditex, the fast fashion group the Spaniard founded that is best known for its Zara chain of stores. — Alex Crippen, CNBC, 3 Oct. 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