afterthought

noun af·ter·thought \ -ˌthȯt \

|Updated on: 23 Jul 2018

Examples: afterthought in a Sentence

Definition of afterthought

1 : an idea occurring later

2 : something (such as a part or feature) not thought of originally : something secondary

See afterthought defined for English-language learners

See afterthought defined for kids

Examples of afterthought in a Sentence

Then I remembered, almost as an afterthought, to feed the cat.
The fact was hidden deep in the report, almost as an afterthought.
The lounge was added to the office as an afterthought.

Recent Examples of afterthought from the Web

Get creative with these local French fry options Fries aren’t afterthoughts at certain local restaurants.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Here's how to celebrate National French Fry Day," 13 July 2018
Consider the bun The bun shouldn't be an afterthought.

— natalie b. compton, GQ, "How to Cook a Hamburger Like a Chef," 26 June 2018
Ramps and elevators are not an afterthought, but the norm.

— katherine fitzgerald, azcentral, "Wheelchair Rugby National Championship returns to Phoenix; local team defends title," 20 Apr. 2018
Sweden, an afterthought in most competitions, was now the World Cup’s surprise package.

— joshua robinson, WSJ, "Sweden’s Secret to World Cup Success: Play More Boring," 3 July 2018
Waldo started more than 30 years ago as an afterthought.

— john wilkens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Library punches all the buttons for annual Waldo contest," 25 June 2018
His death seems to be included almost as an afterthought.

— kelly conaboy, The Cut, "Hereditary’s Single Bit of Mercy," 25 June 2018
United States Sports fans of a certain age will remember a time when the World Cup was a complete afterthought in the U.S.

— jim reineking, USA TODAY, "FIFA World Cup 2018: Notable teams that failed to qualify," 11 June 2018
Bravazo was an afterthought in the Kentucky Derby, going off at 66-1 odds, but made a nice run and finished sixth.

— jason frakes, The Courier-Journal, "From Bravazo to Gronkowski: 5 storylines to watch at Belmont 2018," 22 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'afterthought.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.