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.
The Voting Rights Act, after all, was reauthorized nearly unanimously by a Republican Congress and president, George W. Bush, in 2006.
From Salon • May 9, 2026
See also: AI is coming for your job after all.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
“We’re rooting around for answers,” Nelligan said, “We all want to bring Denise and Stan Smart some peace after all these years.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
Wynne, after all, came with a fairly average set of attributes on Fifa.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
To his surprise he found that it was not an old kill after all.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
