afterward

adverb

af·​ter·​ward ˈaf-tər-wərd 

ˈaf-tə-

variants or afterwards

ˈaf-tər-wərdz 

ˈaf-tə-

: at a later or succeeding time : subsequently, thereafter

found out about it long afterward

Synonyms

• later
• after
• thereafter

Examples of afterward in a Sentence

He found out about it long afterward.

Afterward, she got a promotion.

Recent Examples on the Web

Make sure to run the water dispenser quite a few times afterward to get rid of all the vinegar in the lines. —Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 30 June 2025

Practical Playbook For CTOs And CISOs • Start with a simple goal and get the victory right away: Focus on a key application, establish a secure pipeline for building, testing, and distributing code, add container scanning and policy checks, and review the outcomes afterward. —Sai Sandeep Ogety, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

Shortly afterward, an apartment building in the nearby city of Nabatieh was struck, killing one woman, wounding 11 and knocking out the building’s top floor, according to Lebanon’s state news agency. —Ahmad Mantash, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025

And the man who was identified as Ibar on the surveillance video had worn a T-shirt covering his head during the murders and removed it afterward, walking directly in front of the camera. —Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

afterward

adverb

af·​ter·​ward ˈaf-tə(r)-wərd 

variants or afterwards

-wərdz 

: at a later time