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.
Turns out the old jacket wasn’t so random after all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
It continues to be used as a key milestone by financial influencers today — you cannot, after all, reach $200,000 or $1 million in net worth without getting to $100,000 first.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
"We hope then to be able to bring Michael before the Court of Appeal, and for him to regain his freedom after all these years of incarceration," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
The Ingalls folk, after all, are warm, loving, American and, as such, inclined to take a road trip.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
He’d died, after all, when he’d been only a kit.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
