after

[ af-ter, ahf- ]

/ ˈæf tər, ˈɑf- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR after ON THESAURUS.COM

preposition

behind in place or position; following behind: men lining up one after the other.

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

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

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

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

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

concerning; about: to inquire after a person.

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

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

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.

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

adverb

behind; in the rear: Jill came tumbling after.

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

adjective

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

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

subsequent to the time that: after the boys left.

noun

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

Nearby words

afsc, afscme, afslaet, aft, aft., after, after a fashion, after a sort, after a while, after all, after all's said and done

Idioms

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

Origin of after

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 and polarity (cognate with Greek -teros)

Synonym study

1. See behind.

Definition for after all (2 of 2)

all

[ awl ]

/ ɔl /

adjective

the whole of (used in referring to quantity, extent, or duration): all the cake; all the way; all year.

the whole number of (used in referring to individuals or particulars, taken collectively): all students.

the greatest possible (used in referring to quality or degree): with all due respect; with all speed.

every: all kinds; all sorts.

any; any whatever: beyond all doubt.

nothing but; only: The coat is all wool.

dominated by or as if by the conspicuous possession or use of a particular feature: The colt was all legs. They were all ears, listening attentively to everything she said.

Chiefly Pennsylvania German. all gone; consumed; finished: The pie is all.

pronoun

the whole quantity or amount: He ate all of the peanuts. All are gone.

the whole number; every one: all of us.

everything: Is that all you want to say? All is lost.

noun

one's whole interest, energy, or property: to give one's all; to lose one's all.

(often initial capital letter) the entire universe.

adverb

wholly; entirely; completely: all alone.

only; exclusively: He spent his income all on pleasure.

each; apiece: The score was one all.

Archaic. even; just.

Origin of all

before 900; Middle English al, plural alle; Old English eal(l); cognate with Gothic alls, Old Norse allr, Old Frisian, Dutch, Middle Low German al, Old Saxon, Old High German al(l) (German all); if < *ol-no-, equivalent to Welsh oll and akin to Old Irish uile < *ol-io-; cf. almighty

SYNONYMS FOR all

2 every one of, each of.

14 totally, utterly, fully.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR all ON THESAURUS.COM

Can be confusedall awl (see usage note at the current entry)

Usage note

Expressions like all the farther and all the higher occur chiefly in informal speech: This is all the farther the bus goes. That's all the higher she can jump. Elsewhere as far as and as high as are generally used: This is as far as the bus goes. That's as high as she can jump.
Although some object to the inclusion of of in such phrases as all of the students and all of the contracts and prefer to omit it, the construction is entirely standard.
See also already, alright, altogether.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for after all (1 of 2)

after

/ (ˈɑːftə) /

preposition

following in time; in succession toafter dinner; time after time

following; behindthey entered one after another

in pursuit or search ofchasing after a thief; he's only after money

concerningto inquire after his health

consideringafter what you have done, you shouldn't complain

next in excellence or importance tohe ranked Jonson after Shakespeare

in imitation of; in the manner ofa statue after classical models

in accordance with or in conformity toa man after her own heart

with a name derived fromMary was named after her grandmother

US past (the hour of)twenty after three

after all

in spite of everythingit's only a game, after all
in spite of expectations, efforts, etche won the race after all!

after you please go, enter, etc, before me

adverb

at a later time; afterwards

coming afterwards; in pursuit

nautical further aft; sternwards

conjunction

(subordinating) at a time later than that at whichhe came after I had left

adjective

nautical further aftthe after cabin

Word Origin for after

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

British Dictionary definitions for after all (2 of 2)

all

/ (ɔːl) /

determiner

the whole quantity or amount of; totality of; every one of a classall the rice; all men are mortal
(as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural)all of it is nice; all are welcome
(in combination with a noun used as a modifier)an all-ticket match; an all-amateur tournament; an all-night sitting

the greatest possiblein all earnestness

any whateverto lose all hope of recovery; beyond all doubt

above all most of all; especially

after all See after (def. 11)

all along all the time

all but almost; nearlyall but dead

all of no less or smaller thanshe's all of thirteen years

all over

finished; at an endthe affair is all over between us
over the whole area (of something); everywhere (in, on, etc)all over England
typically; representatively (in the phrase that's me (you, him, us, them, etc) all over)Also (Irish): all out
unduly effusive towards
sport in a dominant position over

See all in

all in all

everything consideredall in all, it was a great success
the object of one's attention or interestyou are my all in all

all that or that (usually used with a negative) informal (intensifier)she's not all that intelligent

all the (foll by a comparative adjective or adverb) so much (more or less) than otherwisewe must work all the faster now

all too definitely but regrettablyit's all too true

and all

British informal as well; tooand you can take that smile off your face and all
Southern African a parenthetical filler phrase used at the end of a statement to make a sl ight pause in speaking

and all that informal

and similar or associated things; et ceteracoffee, tea, and all that will be served in the garden
used as a filler or to make what precedes more vague: in this sense, it often occurs with concessive forceshe was sweet and pretty and all that, but I still didn't like her
See that (def. 4)

as all that as one might expect or hopeshe's not as pretty as all that, but she has personality

at all

(used with a negative or in a question) in any way whatsoever or to any extent or degreeI didn't know that at all
even so; anywayI'm surprised you came at all

be all for informal to be strongly in favour of

be all that informal, mainly US to be exceptionally good, talented, or attractive

for all

in so far as; to the extent thatfor all anyone knows, he was a baron
notwithstandingfor all my pushing, I still couldn't move it

for all that in spite of thathe was a nice man for all that

in all altogetherthere were five of them in all

adverb

(in scores of games) apiece; eachthe score at half time was three all

completelyall alone

be all … informal used for emphasis when introducing direct speech or nonverbal communicationhe was all, 'I'm not doing that'

noun

(preceded by my, your, his, etc) (one's) complete effort or interestto give your all; you are my all

totality or whole

Related formsRelated prefixes: pan-, panto-

Word Origin for all

Old English eall; related to Old High German al, Old Norse allr, Gothic alls all

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

Word Origin and History for after all (1 of 2)

after

prep.

Old English æfter "after, next, throughout, following in time, later," from Old English of "off" (see of) + -ter, a comparative suffix; thus the original meaning was "more away, farther off." Cf. Old Norse eptir "after," Old High German aftar, Gothic aftra "behind." Cognate with Greek apotero "farther off."

After hours "after regular working hours" is from 1861. Afterwit "wisdom that comes too late" is attested from c.1500 but seems to have fallen from use, despite being more needed now than ever. After you as an expression in yielding precedence is recorded by 1650.

Word Origin and History for after all (1 of 2)

all

Old English eall "all, every, entire," from Proto-Germanic *alnaz (cf. Old Frisian, Old High German al, Old Norse allr, Gothic alls), with no certain connection outside Germanic.

Combinations with all meaning "wholly, without limit" were common in Old English (e.g. eall-halig "all-holy," eall-mihtig "all-mighty") and the method continued to form new compound words throughout the history of English. First record of all out "to one's full powers" is 1880. All-terrain vehicle first recorded 1968. All clear as a signal of "no danger" is recorded from 1902. All right, indicative of approval, is attested from 1953.

Idioms and Phrases with after all (1 of 3)

after all

Despite everything, nevertheless, as in The plane took off half an hour late but landed on time after all.

After everything else has been considered, ultimately, as in Mary has final approval of the guest list; after all, it's her wedding. The two usages are pronounced differently, the first giving stress to the word after and the second to the word all. Both date from the early 1700s. Also see when all is said and done.

Idioms and Phrases with after all (2 of 3)

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

Idioms and Phrases with after all (3 of 3)

all

In addition to the idioms beginning with all

all along
all along the line
all and sundry
all at once
all at sea
all better
all but
all cylinders
all ears
all else being equal
alley cat
all eyes
all for
all for the best
all gone
all hours
all in a day's work
all in all
all in, be
all in good time
all in one piece
all joking aside
all kinds of
all of
all of a sudden
all of the above
all one
all out
all outdoors, big as
all over
all over but the shouting
all over one
all over the place
all over with
all present and accounted for
all right
all right for you
all right with one
all roads lead to Rome
all set
all sewed up
all shook up
all sorts
all systems go
all talk (and no action)
all that
all that glitters is not gold
all the
all the best
all the better
all the rage
all there
all the same
all the thing
all the time
all the way
all the worse
all things to all people, be
all thumbs
all told
all to the good
all up
all very well
all well and good
all wet
all wool and a yard wide
all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy)
all year round

also see:

above all
after all
against all odds
as all getout
at all
at all costs
be-all and end-all
beat all
by all accounts
by all means
by all odds
cap it all
fall all over
firing on all cylinders
first of all
for all
for all I care
for all I know
for all one's worth
for all that
get away (from it all)
get one's act (it all) together
go all the way
have all one's buttons
have it all over someone
have it both ways (all)
hit on all cylinders
hold all the aces
in a (all of a) dither
in all
in all good conscience
in all one's born days
in all probability
(all) in the same boat
it's all downhill from here
it's all over with
it takes all sorts
jump all over
know all the answers
know-it-all
laugh all the way to the bank
least of all
let it all hang out
not all it's cracked up to be
not at all
not for all the tea in china
no time at all
of all the nerve
of all things
once and for all
one and all
pull out all the stops
put all one's eggs in one basket
seen one, seen them all
till all hours
to all intents and purposes
(all) to the good
turn out all right
walk all over
warts and all
when all's said and done
with all due respect
with all one's heart
you can't win them all

after

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adverb

adjective

conjunction

noun

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of after

Synonym study

Definition for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} after all (2 of 2)

all

adjective

pronoun

noun

adverb

Origin of all

Usage note

British Dictionary definitions for after all (1 of 2)

after

preposition

adverb

conjunction

adjective

Word Origin for after

British Dictionary definitions for after all (2 of 2)

all

determiner

adverb

noun

Word Origin for all

Word Origin and History for after all (1 of 2)

after

Word Origin and History for after all (1 of 2)

all

Idioms and Phrases with after all (1 of 3)

after all

Idioms and Phrases with after all (2 of 3)

after

Idioms and Phrases with after all (3 of 3)

all

preposition

Definition for after all (2 of 2)