aft
adverb
at, close to, or toward the stern or tail.
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aft
1 American
[aft, ahft]
/ æft, ɑft /
adverb
adjective
aft
2
American
[aft, ahft]
/ æft, ɑft /
adverb
Scot.
aft.
3
American
abbreviation
A.F.T.
4
American
abbreviation
aft
British
/ ɑːft /
adverb
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."
Vocabulary lists containing aft
The Cay
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"The Odyssey," Vocabulary from Part 1 of the epic poem
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Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
In August, it was announced that holes in 737 MAX aft bulkheads were improperly drilled — potentially affecting cabin pressure.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 16, 2024
Standing on the aft deck of a modified 13-meter fishing boat in Halifax Harbour, Dariia Atamanchuk gazes at both a cause of the climate crisis and, she hopes, part of the solution.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 30, 2023
Then the squall struck whining from the west, with gale force, breaking both forestays, and the mast came toppling aft along the ship’s length, so the running rigging showered into the bilge.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
