afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 

1

: the part of day between noon and sunset

2

: a relatively late period (as of time or life)

in the afternoon of the 19th century

afternoon adjective

Synonyms of afternoon

• evening
• age
• autumn
• twilight

Examples of afternoon in a Sentence

morning, afternoon, evening, and night

I'll see you again tomorrow afternoon.

It was early afternoon when I left.

She spent the afternoon at the library.

I remember the many rainy afternoons I spent reading at the library.

She doesn't have class on Friday afternoons.

It took us all afternoon to get there.

It's going to be a long afternoon listening to lectures.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fox Valley voters came out to the polls on Tuesday for the March 17 primary election, with some local election authorities touting turnout numbers on par with or higher than some recent primary contests as of the afternoon on Election Day. —Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026

Netflix The streaming giant will release its upcoming slate in the afternoon. —Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 18 Mar. 2026

Why Citi chose Charlotte for expansion About 100 people, including state and local government officials, gathered Monday afternoon in the building lobby for an opening event following storm threats. —Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026

Miami International Airport had 315 delays and 48 cancellations late Tuesday afternoon after absorbing 450 delays and 307 cancellations the day before. —David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English afternone, from after- after- + none noon

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing afternoon

• good afternoon
• make a day/night/morning/afternoon/evening of it
• the other day/night/morning/afternoon/evening
• this afternoon

Rhymes for afternoon

• forenoon
• honeymoon
• laocoon
• opportune
• pantaloon
• picayune
• tablespoon
• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• buffoon

Kids Definition

afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 

: the part of day between noon and sunset

afternoon adjective