Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary thesaurus view recents

afterward

adverb
Save Word
af·​ter·​ward | \ ˈaf-tər-wərd How to pronounce afterward (audio) , ˈaf-tə- \
variants: or afterwards \ ˈaf-​tər-​wərdz How to pronounce afterwards (audio) , ˈaf-​tə-​ \

Definition of afterward

: at a later or succeeding time : subsequently, thereafter found out about it long afterward
Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about afterward

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for afterward

Synonyms

Antonyms

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

Examples of afterward in a Sentence

He found out about it long afterward. Afterward, she got a promotion.
Recent Examples on the Web Grab a free coffee and a cleanup kit to take on your hike or bike ride afterward. — Joshua Berman, The Know, "Opting outside on Black Friday? Here’s where you can volunteer in your community.," 24 Nov. 2019 Though the Lions went down to defeat, coach Ryan Partridge was upbeat afterward. — Mitch Stephens, SFChronicle.com, "Roundup: Pittsburg tops Liberty, earns meeting with De La Salle in NCS final," 23 Nov. 2019 Pigs were successfully cooled, operated on and resuscitated—and sustained brain function afterward. — Claire Bugos, Smithsonian, "Doctors Put a Patient in Suspended Animation for the First Time," 23 Nov. 2019 Of course, the whole act is clearly in good fun, as Legend bursts into laughter immediately afterward. — Megan Mccluskey, Time, "Chrissy Teigen's Face Wordlessly Expresses a Lack of Interest in Husband John Legend's 'Sexy' Elf Routine," 22 Nov. 2019 Subtitled Champion Edition, Capcom’s basically bundled up 2018’s Arcade Edition and all the DLC that came afterward into one big package. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: A Divinity: Original Sin board game, rumors of a new Mass Effect, and more," 22 Nov. 2019 Adams was down on the ground for a few minutes afterward and was unable to play. — Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle, "Texans' Mike Adams ruled out with concussion," 17 Nov. 2019 There’s an hour-and-a-half reprieve when everyone files into the club for the show, but afterward the partiers spill out into the night more revved up than before. — Paul Kvinta, Outside Online, "I Bought an Elephant to Find Out How to Save Them," 12 Nov. 2019 New England’s second-busiest _ was closed afterward but reopened a single runway about 3½ hours later. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "World War II-era bomber crashes; at least 7 reported dead," 2 Oct. 2019

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

See More

First Known Use of afterward

13th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for afterward

Middle English afterward "behind, in the rear, at a later time," going back to Old English æfterweard "behind, following," from æfter after entry 1 + -weard -ward entry 2; Middle English afterwardes, efterwardes "at a later time," from afterward + -es -s entry 1

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about afterward

Time Traveler for afterward

Time Traveler

The first known use of afterward was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Statistics for afterward

Last Updated

28 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Afterward.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afterward. Accessed 7 December 2019.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for afterward

afterward

adverb
af·​ter·​ward | \ ˈaf-tər-wərd How to pronounce afterward (audio) \
variants: or afterwards \ -​wərdz \

Kids Definition of afterward

: at a later time He found out the truth long afterward.

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on afterward

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for afterward

Spanish Central: Translation of afterward

Nglish: Translation of afterward for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of afterward for Arabic Speakers

Comments on afterward

What made you want to look up afterward? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

vexillology

Listen to the pronounciation of vexillology

the study of flags

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Semantic Drift Quiz

  • a twisty river
  • Which of the following was once a synonym for fun?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games