afterthought

noun

af·ter·thought | \ -ˌthȯt

Definition of afterthought

1 : an idea occurring later

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

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 on the Web

The organization is considered an afterthought in the grassroots cycling world, where races, group rides and other events are often held without its oversight. — Dave Skretta, The Seattle Times, "USA Cycling hires New Balance boss DeMartini as its CEO," 7 Jan. 2019 Until the early 20th century, there’s scant evidence of concerns over children refusing what they were given, even though what they were given often was an afterthought of an adult menu. — Jennifer Traig, WSJ, "The Making of the Picky Eater," 11 Jan. 2019 Truckee in particular has attracted a fresh crop of remote workers, meaning that this mountain town is no longer a sleepy, ski-resort-adjacent afterthought. — Todd Plummer, Vogue, "Why Bay Area Residents Are Flocking to Truckee, California—And You Should Too," 11 Dec. 2018 Keller, 22, was acquired through the Rule 5 draft in December, an afterthought, at least publicly, in the opening year of the remodeling process. — Sam Mcdowell, kansascity, "Brad Keller's best outing of rookie year provides Royals a respite from brutal June," 25 June 2018 The rest of the pieces generally are afterthoughts, similar to how the Heat reloaded with James Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Dion Waiters after losing Dwyane Wade in the 2016 offseason. — Ira Winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "ASK IRA: Do the Heat need a pass-first presence to maximize their roster?," 6 June 2018 Pies for lots of cooks are an afterthought, pepperoni, sausage and peppers, the usual stuff. — Liz Biro, Indianapolis Star, "Liz Biro picks the top 5 pizzas in Central Indiana," 7 Feb. 2018 Bunting is an afterthought, like a job that has been eliminated by a robot. — Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty on UC Bearcats: Good and getting better as NCAA March Madness looms," 1 Feb. 2018 Antonio Berardi jacket; Banana Republic earrings, $50 SHOP In some cases, outerwear paired with a holiday party look is a functional afterthought, a way to keep warm from the car to the warmth of a gracious host’s home. — Jay Baldos, Harper's BAZAAR, "5 Truly Gorgeous Ensembles to Wear This Holiday," 21 Nov. 2017

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.