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

After all, adjusting your thermostat for the afternoon isn’t going to bust your energy bill for the month. —Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Jan. 2026

The contempt resolution is expected to advance out of the committee Wednesday afternoon -- teeing up a full vote on the House floor days later. —Lauren Peller, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2026

Following a bitterly cold Wednesday morning, temperatures warm towards 40° on Wednesday afternoon. —Steven Sosna, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

Following those verifications, the NRA issued its test-use approval early Wednesday afternoon, clearing the way for TEPCO to begin withdrawing control rods and initiating the nuclear reaction later in the day, Reuters reported. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 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