after-hours
adjective
occurring, engaged in, or operating after the normal or legal closing time for business.
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after-hours
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after hours
after hoursAfter 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]
after-hours
American
[af-ter-auuhrz, -au-erz, ahf-]
/ ˈæf tərˈaʊərz, -ˈaʊ ərz, ˈɑf- /
adjective
after hours
Idioms
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of after-hours
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
See Examples For:
SpaceX dropped a wireless industry bombshell late Thursday that sent shares of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile lower in after-hours trading.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Shares of Twilio were up 1.5% in after-hours action on Thursday.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
MGM shares fell more than 8% in after-hours trading.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Generac shares rose more than 34% in the after-hours session Wednesday, after ending the regular trading day up less than 0.1%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
A professor gave him a key for after-hours access to the library, where he spent much of his free time.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
That’s likely the reason why shares are volatile after hours, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Microsoft shares rose 9% after hours after it announced record and accelerating revenue in its Azure cloud business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Amazon stock jumped by more than 7 percent after hours.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
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
As far as she knew, the wise old founder had never had to flee actors dressed as pirates by crawling through a dank, dark tunnel into the British Museum after hours.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
