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

On Tuesday afternoon, local and national activists gathered for a People's Hearing on Immigration Enforcement designed to document what occurred during the operation. —Esme Murphy, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2026

The family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, who was shot and killed in the mass shooting that erupted at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally in February 2024, left the Jackson County courthouse in tears on Monday afternoon. —Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026

Two men were beaten outside a Santana Row restaurant on Sunday afternoon in an incident that is being investigated as a potential antisemitic hate crime, San Jose authorities said Tuesday. —Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026

There were pre-dawn workouts, mid-morning core, mid-afternoon skills training and late-night shooting sessions. —Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 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
• 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