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• aft
  aft

  adverb

  at, close to, or toward the stern or tail.
• aft.
  aft.

  abbreviation

  afternoon.
• A.F.T.
  A.F.T.

  abbreviation

  American Federation of Teachers.

aft

¹ American  

[aft, ahft] / æft, ɑft /

adverb

1. at, close to, or toward the stern or tail.

   Stow the luggage aft.

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adjective

1. situated toward or at the stern or tail.

   The aft sail was luffing.

aft ² American  

[aft, ahft] / æft, ɑft /

adverb

Scot.

1. oft.

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aft. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. afternoon.

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A.F.T. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. American Federation of Teachers.

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aft British  

/ ɑːft /

adverb

1. nautical towards or at the stern or rear

   the aft deck

   aft of the engines

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Etymology

Origin of aft

before 950; Middle English afte, Old English æftan from behind, equivalent to æf- opposite + -t- suffix of uncertain value + -an suffix marking motion from; cognate with Old Frisian efta, Old Saxon, Old High German aftan, Gothic aftana, Old Norse aptan, Greek opís ( s ) ō behind; not akin to Greek apó off

Explanation

When something's at the back of a boat, it's aft. You might instruct a passenger on your sailboat to move aft while you adjust the sails. Aft, which can be used as an adverb or an adjective, is almost solely used in nautical or aeronautical terminology — in other words, when you're talking about a boat, ship, or airplane. Flight attendants usually start at the front of the cabin and move aft as they dole out drinks and pretzels, and they might instruct you to stow your huge bag in an aft compartment. The Old English root is æftan, "from behind or farthest back."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aft aft. A.F.T.

The hellscape worsened when U.S. aircraft attacked the Oryoku Maru on Dec. 14, one day after leaving port, and again on Dec. 15, setting the aft deck ablaze and dealing the ship its final blows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Two tunnels ran from fore to aft, right beneath the deck.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025

“Let’s get everyone off the ship and onto the dock,” Willcox said, and padded aft in his bare feet.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025

August 2023: Boeing discovers misaligned drill holes in aft pressure bulkheads, the same anomaly Dean had flagged and warned supervisors about in October 2022.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024

Then she’d gone aft, as planned, for the send-off.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

I have my sister and a dream cousin of ours from Hartford here this aft. and I'm eager to show them how I can pound a public road with a rowdy-cart.

From Get Next! by Hugh McHugh

He had been to breakfast with the beautiful Mrs. Wadsworth, & was on his way, to breakfast at 3 in the aft. with the Duchess of St. Albans.

From Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Thomas Wentworth Higginson

"Shorten sail to the taupsles and jib, get the colors ready on the halyards, and then send the men aft.…"

From Great Sea Stories by Joseph Lewis French

I've got a date for the mat., this aft., so ta-ta.

From Uncle Terry A Story of the Maine Coast by Charles Clark Munn

When Wong took over in 2012, she continued to recruit staff members and fellows who were at once nonaligned and well connected: to the A.F.T. and S.E.I.U.,

From New York Times ● Jul. 23, 2016

Gates appears to have been chastened by his experience with the A.F.T.

From New York Times ● Sep. 5, 2014

In Newark, New Jersey’s largest city, A.F.T. organizers have signaled that they will work with Christie on changes to the pension and health care system, in addition to negotiating on issues like merit pay.

From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2011

At their national meeting in New Orleans this month, delegates for the 2.3 million members of the N.E.A. turned back a proposed merger with the A.F.T., which would have created the nation's largest union.

From Time Magazine Archive

"When it comes right down to it, people like teachers," boasts A.F.T. president Sandra Feldman.

From Time Magazine Archive