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.
Cassidy announced, in a Senate floor speech late Friday morning, that he would support Blanche after all.
From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026
"We just cannot believe after all this time, this is all that they can come up with," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
She understands what it’s like to be unloved and ignored more than most, after all.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
So it turns out the final season of “Ted Lasso” wasn’t its final season after all.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Honey is a kind of sugar after all, right?
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
