after all
Idioms-
Despite everything, nevertheless, as in The plane took off half an hour late but landed on time after all .
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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 .
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.
“I won’t deny I was scared, as were many others. We are human, after all.”
I bring this up because it wasn’t, after all, the substance of Noem’s actions that ultimately got her fired.
From Los Angeles Times
The new cars that race around picturesque Albert Park, the place nearly everyone in F1 prefers to start a new season, may look familiar at first glance - they are F1 cars, after all.
From BBC
They were, after all, folks who had paid up to $80 a seat to hear the conversation and receive a copy of his book.
From Los Angeles Times
‘On the other hand, it might have just been looking for some flies to eat for breakfast – and if that’s the case then I don’t think I want to learn from it, after all.’
From Literature
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.
