afterthought

noun

af·​ter·​thought ˈaf-tər-ˌthȯt 

1

: an idea occurring later

made the suggestion as an afterthought

2

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

a seating area added as an afterthought to the office

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 33 million firms that employ nearly half the American workforce cannot be an afterthought when fraud prevention policies are written. —Walter Rowen, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026

Not as an afterthought, but as a core consideration. —Marc Augustin, STAT, 16 Apr. 2026

Horse racing is an afterthought. —Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 16 Apr. 2026

These communities, underrepresented in and underserved by city government, have too often been treated as an afterthought in decisions that affect their health, safety and quality of life. —Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

after- + thought entry 1

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for afterthought

• aeronaut
• aforethought
• apricot
• argonaut
• astronaut
• camelot
• coffeepot
• concordat
• cosmonaut
• entrepot
• flowerpot
• huguenot

Kids Definition

afterthought

noun

af·​ter·​thought -ˌthȯt 

1

: a later thought about something one has done or said

2

: something not thought of originally