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

• after
• later
• latterly
• subsequently
• thereafter

Examples of afterward in a Sentence

He found out about it long afterward.

Afterward, she got a promotion.

Recent Examples on the Web

Every other private institution — and most public ones — compete brutally on price up until the May 1 reply date each year (and sometimes afterward). —Ron Lieber, New York Times, 1 May 2025

Shortly afterward, he was stopped in his car, a 2016 Chevrolet Impala, and was placed under arrest. —Kyle Schmidbauer, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025

Juan and Alfredo—who arrives just afterward—don’t have time to mourn their friend’s death and hurry to leave after seeing people with flashlights heading toward the building. —Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 1 May 2025

Watch the Kentucky Derby on NBC, as well as more than 225 other news, entertainment and sports channels with a subscription to Fubo — which starts at $64.99 for the first month of service ($84.99 per month afterward). —Rudie Obias, HollywoodReporter, 1 May 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