afternoon

noun

ˌaf-tər-ˈnün How to pronounce afternoon (audio)
Definition of afternoonnext
as in evening
a later period of one's life literary fame did not arrive until the afternoon of her life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of afternoon Standing on the National Mall in the afternoon, before storm delays and fireworks, Donald Rasdall and Betsy Green peered at the history around them. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 5 July 2026 On this particular afternoon, worship began with an opening hymn that Brown led from the back, a one-woman choir. — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026 Luis Arraez, who was named an All-Star on Saturday afternoon, and Jung Hoo Lee each contributed an RBI apiece. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 July 2026 That afternoon, another dozen or so women joined her for tea at The Langham hotel (about $100 per person) before everyone came together for a private dinner (another $100 per person) and bar-hopping at Sullivan's favorite places. — Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 5 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for afternoon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for afternoon
  1. evening
  2. age
  3. autumn
  4. twilight
Noun
  • The third-place match (bronze medal game) is scheduled for Saturday evening back at Hard Rock in Miami Gardens.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
  • Hu Haijun, the director of the Shanxi Bureau of the National Mine Safety Administration, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, the government’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said Monday evening.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Definition of evening
Noun
  • When it was all said and done, soccer and sports fans of all ages and flavors were catered to.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
  • Chen, who was living in Boston and has a college-age son, is the only American currently held in China designated as wrongfully detained, the non-profit said.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of age
Noun
  • Vines are nearly covered with blooms in spring and continue to flower all summer long and into autumn.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 12 July 2026
  • Regardless, Bass easily found her way onto this autumn’s mayoral ballot and remains on course for reelection later this year.
    — John Scott Lewinski, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026
Definition of autumn
Noun
  • In those places, day will briefly turn to twilight and, in a clear sky, the sun’s corona will become visible around the moon for up to 2 minutes 18 seconds.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • In late twilight, both planet and star will be readily visible to the unaided eye.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of twilight

Browse Nearby Words

aftermost
afternoon
afters
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Afternoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/afternoon. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on afternoon

Nglish: Translation of afternoon for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All