afternoon

American  

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

noun

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

• preafternoon
  noun

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

In afternoon trading, the benchmark Dutch TTF front-month contract is down 1.7% to 48.57 euros a megawatt-hour.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Elsewhere, there'll be a lot of sunshine - though there is a risk of a heavy shower or even thunderstorm in south-east England on Saturday afternoon.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

The fire had burned 2,141 acres and was 30% contained as of Thursday afternoon, at which time several evacuation orders and warnings were downgraded.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

Home Construction exchange-traded fund, which tracks home builders and related companies, was down 1.3% on Thursday afternoon.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

The rest of the afternoon, I just lay on my bed.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott