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

Now, the two second-round draft picks are almost afterthoughts because the Clippers brought in their backcourt of the future, 2018 first-round picks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson. — Broderick Turner, latimes.com, "Facing a logjam, Clippers guards Thornwell and Evans ready to compete for spots," 9 July 2018 These movies are like comets that arrive tail-first: The fiery streak of advertising momentum is dazzling; the big rock trailing behind is almost an afterthought. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, "Review: Ocean's 8 Boasts a Great Cast But Lacks Champagne-Bubble Lightness," 9 June 2018 The second plaque is smaller, almost an afterthought. — James Mcauley, Town & Country, "A Secret Paris Museum and an Aristocratic Family Decimated by the Holocaust," 9 Feb. 2017 If Sacramento native and longtime NBA veteran Matt Barnes has his way on Saturday, the evening game between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings will be nothing more than a meaningless afterthought for his heartbroken hometown. — Sam Amick, USA TODAY, "Sacramento native Matt Barnes hoping to land Kings, Warriors players for Stephon Clark rally," 29 Mar. 2018 In the past decade, China’s box office has gone from an afterthought to a major priority for Hollywood studios. — Erich Schwartzel, WSJ, "‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Has Huge Opening in China," 13 May 2018 John Calipari hopes young team learned an important lesson Clark and Buffalo experienced firsthand how quickly a double-digit seed can go from afterthought to darling in the blowout of Arizona. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "Buffalo star Wes Clark has history with Kentucky. On Saturday, he's looking for redemption," 16 Mar. 2018 The Lions - who finished third in its district - quickly went from afterthought to conquerors this postseason with wins over Dickinson, Atascocita, Pearland and Sam Houston. — Adam Coleman, Houston Chronicle, "Tompkins punches ticket to state tourney with win over Alief Taylor," 3 Mar. 2018 Now artist Melissa Dorn Richards has elevated the mop from afterthought to star in a new exhibit at Frank Juarez Gallery. — Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Dorn Richards transforms humble mop heads into paintings and sculpture," 11 Jan. 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.