afternoon

American  

[af-ter-noon, ahf-, af-ter-noon, ahf-, af-, ahf-] / ˌæf tərˈnun, ˌɑf-, ˈæf tərˈnun, ˈɑf-, ˌæf-, ˌɑf- /

noun

• afternoons
  plural

1. 

   the time from noon until evening.

2. the latter part.

   the afternoon of life.

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adjective

1. pertaining to the latter part of the day.

afternoon British  

/ ˌɑːftəˈnuːn /

noun

1. 1. the period of the day between noon and evening

   2. ( as modifier )

      afternoon tea

2. a middle or later part

   the afternoon of life

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preafternoon
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• afternoons
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of afternoon

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at after, noon

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Explanation

The afternoon is the time of day that starts mid-day and ends in the evening. If you have an afternoon appointment, it's probably some time between 12:00 and 5:00 p.m. It's pretty much agreed that the afternoon begins after noon, or 12:00 p.m., but when the afternoon ends and evening begins is a bit more vague. Still, if you ask a friend to meet you for coffee in the afternoon, she will know what you mean. You can even use the word afternoon as a casual greeting, short for "Good afternoon!" In Middle English, the word was aftermete, meaning "after the noon meal."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

afternoon afternoons

So far, Lake said Friday afternoon, he hasn’t heard back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

At an emergency meeting on Friday afternoon, the National Financial Stabilization Fund of Taiwan authorized the executive secretary to deploy funds as needed to stabilize the market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

The governor-elect, speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon inside the state Capitol, had just concluded a meeting with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro-Tempore Monique Limón.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

The day before the election, on a rainy afternoon filled with squalls and hail, dozens of Hamilton supporters turned out for a last-minute canvas in the university town of Lawrence, Kansas.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Teddy and I took an impromptu day trip to the beach, so you’re off the hook for babysitting this afternoon.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

On hot afternoons, when demand for power peaks, solar is now regularly supplying around a third of the electricity used across Texas, says Mark Stover, executive director of the Texas Solar and Storage Association.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

I would not trade a single one of those afternoons.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

In the basement of St. Boniface Church in Anaheim on weekday afternoons and weekend mornings in the mid-1990s, my sister, about 20 other teenagers and I learned about the tenets of our faith.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

European authorities issued health warnings, battled wildfires and urged people to avoid outdoor activities during afternoons.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

In the afternoons we play Monopoly or Blokus in my room, and I tell him everything that’s going on.

From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins

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