after

[ af-ter, ahf- ]
See synonyms for after on Thesaurus.com
preposition
  1. behind in place or position; following behind: men lining up one after the other.

  2. later in time than; in succession to; at the close of: Tell me after supper. Day after day he came to work late.

  1. subsequent to and in consequence of: After what has happened, I can never return.

  2. below in rank or excellence; nearest to: Milton is usually placed after Shakespeare among English poets.

  3. in imitation of or in imitation of the style of: to make something after a model; fashioned after Raphael.

  4. in pursuit or search of; with or in desire for: I'm after a better job. Run after him!

  5. concerning; about: to inquire after a person.

  6. with the name of; for: He was named after his uncle.

  7. in proportion to; in accordance with: He was a man after the hopes and expectations of his father.

  8. according to the nature of; in conformity with; in agreement or unison with: He was a man after my own heart. He swore after the manner of his faith.

  9. subsequent to and notwithstanding; in spite of: After all their troubles, they still manage to be optimistic.

adverb
  1. behind; in the rear: Jill came tumbling after.

  2. later in time; afterward: three hours after; happily ever after.

adjective
  1. later in time; next; subsequent; succeeding: In after years we never heard from him.

  2. Nautical, Aeronautics.

    • farther aft.

    • located closest to the stern or tail; aftermost: after hold; after mast.

    • including the stern or tail: the after part of a hull.

conjunction
  1. subsequent to the time that: after the boys left.

noun
  1. afters, British Informal. the final course of a meal, as pudding, ice cream, or the like; dessert.

Idioms about after

  1. after all, despite what has occurred or been assumed previously; nevertheless: I've discovered I can attend the meeting after all.

Origin of after

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English æfter; cognate with Old Frisian efter, Old Saxon, Old High German after, Gothic aftaro, Old Norse eptir; equivalent to æf- (see aft1) + -ter, suffix of comparison (cognate with Greek -teros; cf. presbyter )

synonym study For after

1. See behind.

Words Nearby after

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use after in a sentence

  • But I don't see that that sort of thing helps him to decide upon the most suitable career for a young man in after-war conditions.

    First Plays | A. A. Milne
  • He wanted besides to stay for the after-service, which he had not done since he was a young man—never since his marriage.

    Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
  • I beg you not to quarrel with me for the word; some of the partakers in that after-service remain from no higher motive.

    Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
  • But the after-piece excited much emotion: it was called "The Discovery of Brazil."

  • He had dashed for an after-compartment to their storage place of tools, and returned with a blow-torch in his hand.

British Dictionary definitions for after

after

/ (ˈɑːftə) /


preposition
  1. following in time; in succession to: after dinner; time after time

  2. following; behind: they entered one after another

  1. in pursuit or search of: chasing after a thief; he's only after money

  2. concerning: to inquire after his health

  3. considering: after what you have done, you shouldn't complain

  4. next in excellence or importance to: he ranked Jonson after Shakespeare

  5. in imitation of; in the manner of: a statue after classical models

  6. in accordance with or in conformity to: a man after her own heart

  7. with a name derived from: Mary was named after her grandmother

  8. US past (the hour of): twenty after three

  9. after all

    • in spite of everything: it's only a game, after all

    • in spite of expectations, efforts, etc: he won the race after all!

  10. after you please go, enter, etc, before me

adverb
  1. at a later time; afterwards

  2. coming afterwards; in pursuit

  1. nautical further aft; sternwards

conjunction
  1. (subordinating) at a time later than that at which: he came after I had left

adjective
  1. nautical further aft: the after cabin

Origin of after

1
Old English æfter; related to Old Norse aptr back, eptir after, Old High German aftar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with after

after

In addition to the idioms beginning with after

  • after a fashion
  • after all
  • after all's said and done
  • after a sort
  • after a while
  • after hours
  • after one's own heart
  • after the fact

also see:

  • day after day
  • get after
  • go after
  • inquire after
  • keep after
  • live happily ever after
  • look after
  • morning after
  • name after
  • run after
  • see after
  • sought after
  • take after
  • throw good money after bad
  • time after time

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.