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 of afterward

• 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

Soon afterward, with minimal warning, my mother moved to a small white farmhouse on a lonely hillside in rural New Hampshire. —Nicholas Dawidoff, New Yorker, 10 May 2026

Among those consumers, 88% experienced at least one negative consequence afterward, including account takeover attempts. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026

Lane and Milesi-Ferretti found that countries with pre-crisis external deficits furthest beyond what economic fundamentals could explain tended to suffer the deepest downturns afterward. —James Broughel, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026

The team’s development camp will take place shortly afterward. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 May 2026

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