after-hours

[ af-ter-ouuhrz, -ou-erz, ahf- ]

adjective

occurring, engaged in, or operating after the normal or legal closing time for business: an after-hours drinking club.

Origin of after-hours

First recorded in 1925–30

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use after-hours in a sentence

The stock dropped 15 percent in after-hours trading Tuesday and the carnage continued Wednesday morning.
Whole Foods Is Getting Its Organic Lunch Eaten | Daniel Gross | May 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I used to work at a Tower Records and shot a film after-hours there.
‘Noah’ is a Global Warming Epic About the Battle Between Religion and Science, Says Cinematographer | Marlow Stern | March 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
She seemed to be enjoying it, too, judging by this amazing photo of her and Plaza after-hours.
Anna Kendrick: Queen Bee of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival | Marlow Stern | January 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Only a policeman would know where the after-hours joints were open in this kind of a town.
Two Chickens, an Old Guitar, and a Group of Strangers: A Life-Changing Feast in Brazil | Annabel Langbein | November 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Shortly after the announcement, Washington Post shares were up 4.5 percent in after-hours trading.
Everything You Need to Know About Jeff Bezos | Nina Strochlic | August 5, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

In order to expedite the work, it was desirable to induce the men to work after-hours.
The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6 | E. Rameur
To-morrow the fault shall be corrected, and the swings that are made in after-hours now give fair promise of a great change.
The Spirit of the Links | Henry Leach
I do not know how the dinner, or rather the after-hours of it, had lengthened.
The Sleuth of St. James's Square | Melville Davisson Post

Other Idioms and Phrases with after-hours

after-hours

After normal working hours, after closing time; also, after legal or established opening hours. For example, I haven't time while the shop is open, but I can see you after hours, or The restaurant employees sometimes stayed for a meal after hours. This term originally referred to laws governing business hours. It also gave rise to the term after-hours club, for a drinking club that remained open later than similar establishments. [Mid-1800s]

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