What does after-hours mean? After-hours describes something that happens after normal or legal hours of operation for a business or service, as in The after-hours party starts as soon as the bar closes for the night. After-hours can describe something that happens after its normal time, such as a business meeting that takes place after the close of the business day. In the US, many business offices close at 5 pm. A meeting that took place at 7 pm, for example, would be an after-hours meeting. After-hours can also describe something that happens after the allotted time. It’s generally used in situations in which something can be conducted after a business or program has ended and will still be honored. This use is most often used in reference to the stock market and investing, such as in the phrase after-hours trading. The New York Stock Exchange, for example, is only open from 9:30 am to 4 pm, but trading can be conducted at any time of the day. Finally, after-hours can simply describe something that happens late at night. You might find a restaurant that serves an after-hours breakfast, meaning they serve breakfast foods late at night, especially after midnight. Example: Joanie tried after-hours trading but found that she made more money during regular trading hours.
First recorded in 1925–30
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Thursday Amazon jumped by more than 9% in after-hours trading in New York on Thursday, while Microsoft gained more than 15%.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Nasdaq futures were up 0.3%, though shares in Meta Platforms tumbled by over 8% in after-hours trade after investors reacted negatively to the Facebook-owner’s latest earnings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The guidance sent Apple shares down by as much as eight percent in after-hours trading.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
That stock jumped in after-hours trading after the company beat analysts’ expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The groups abroad that provide these after-hours readings are called “Nighthawks” by the American radiologists that employ them.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
Microsoft also reported its quarterly and full year results on Wednesday and it bucked a trend of declining tech stocks, with shares rising 5% in after hours trading.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Some of the babies passed after hours, some longer.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
An AFP journalist captured rare footage at Al-Rahmaniyah camp showing exhausted women shuffling under a punishing sun, jerrycans swaying on their heads after hours spent waiting for water at a distant well.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
Micron Technology fell 0.3% after a sharp decline Tuesday, but the stock rallied after hours as investors welcomed the memory-chip company’s earnings and guidance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
“Don’t move,” I said, hanging up, and who do you call when it’s after hours and Christmas on the horizon?
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
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.
