afternoon

American  

[af-ter-noon, ahf-, af-ter-noon, ahf-, af-, ahf-] / ˌæf tərˈnun, ˌɑf-, ˈæf tərˈnun, ˈɑf-, ˌæf-, ˌɑf- /

noun

• afternoons
  plural

1. the time from noon until evening.

2. the latter part.

   the afternoon of life.

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adjective

1. pertaining to the latter part of the day.

afternoon British  

/ ˌɑːftəˈnuːn /

noun

1. 1. the period of the day between noon and evening

   2. ( as modifier )

      afternoon tea

2. a middle or later part

   the afternoon of life

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preafternoon
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• afternoons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of afternoon

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at after, noon

Explanation

The afternoon is the time of day that starts mid-day and ends in the evening. If you have an afternoon appointment, it's probably some time between 12:00 and 5:00 p.m. It's pretty much agreed that the afternoon begins after noon, or 12:00 p.m., but when the afternoon ends and evening begins is a bit more vague. Still, if you ask a friend to meet you for coffee in the afternoon, she will know what you mean. You can even use the word afternoon as a casual greeting, short for "Good afternoon!" In Middle English, the word was aftermete, meaning "after the noon meal."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

afternoon afternoons

It is northern parts this time where there may be some early showers, but through the afternoon another zone of heavy and thundery showers are expected to sweep across the country from the west.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Bank Negara Malaysia makes its interest-rate decision on Thursday afternoon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Asked if there was ever a possibility his players would return for the afternoon session on day one, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper said: "All are OK. We were having lunch at that time."

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

By Friday afternoon, Ledsworth said the long-ignored property was suddenly abuzz.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Our sister Nollie and her husband were coming that afternoon as soon as their six children got home from school.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

In the basement of St. Boniface Church in Anaheim on weekday afternoons and weekend mornings in the mid-1990s, my sister, about 20 other teenagers and I learned about the tenets of our faith.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

European authorities issued health warnings, battled wildfires and urged people to avoid outdoor activities during afternoons.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

It is hourly in the afternoons and the council said it had asked operators SPT if more frequents services were possible, but were told there was not enough demand to justify it.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

“They’re very content spending the afternoons just sitting in the pool,” the 37-year-old Massachusetts resident said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

They sat through whole dreary afternoons, corseted and alone.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck