afternoons

[af-ter-noonz, ahf-]

adverb

in or during any or every afternoon: He slept late and worked afternoons.

Origin of afternoons

1895–1900, Americanism; afternoon + -s1

afternoon

[noun af-ter-noon, ahf-; adjective af-ter-noon, ahf-, af-, ahf-]

noun

the time from noon until evening.
the latter part: the afternoon of life.

adjective

pertaining to the latter part of the day.

Origin of afternoon

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

Related formspre·af·ter·noon, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

siesta teatime P.M.

Examples from the Web for afternoons

Contemporary Examples

In the second season she spends afternoons rehearsing for a musical and buying an unlicensed gun for her clone friend.
Why Should You Watch 'Orphan Black'? Tatiana Maslany.
Sujay Kumar
April 19, 2014
I spend my afternoons reading and exercising or going for walks.
How I Write: Paul Lynch
Noah Charney
December 18, 2013
He had sex with hustlers in the afternoons, he said, so he could concentrate on conversation with friends in the evening.
How Gay Was Gore Vidal?
Tim Teeman
July 31, 2013
I could still see those afternoons in the Manchester TV studios when I was a kid with a camera.
Never Before Seen Beatles Photos From 1964
Leslie Woodhead
April 24, 2013
But in the next instant, all the other timepieces ticked on into the first of the sunny afternoons the boy will never see.
A Boston Child Is Cut Down by an Attacker’s Bomb
Michael Daly
April 17, 2013

Historical Examples

I'm to be in your office in the mornings, Dr. Wilson, and anywhere I am needed in the afternoons.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
In the afternoons he would take a walk if the weather was nice.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
On the afternoons when Coupeau felt dull, he would call on the Lorilleuxs.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
That is where we play—I mean it is most pleasant there, hot afternoons.
The Very Small Person
Annie Hamilton Donnell
But he rather liked to visit the graveyard on Sunday afternoons.
Cy Whittaker's Place
Joseph C. Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for afternoons

afternoons

adverb

informal during the afternoon, esp regularly

afternoon

noun

1. the period of the day between noon and evening
2. (as modifier)afternoon tea
a middle or later partthe afternoon of life

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for afternoons

afternoon

n.

c.1300, from after + noon. In 15c.-16c., the form was at afternoon; from c.1600 it has been in the afternoon. Middle English also had aftermete "afternoon, part of the day following the noon meal," mid-14c.

afternoons

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}afternoons

afternoon

Origin of afternoon

Related Words

Examples from the Web for afternoons

Contemporary Examples

In the second season she spends afternoons rehearsing for a musical and buying an unlicensed gun for her clone friend.

I spend my afternoons reading and exercising or going for walks.

He had sex with hustlers in the afternoons, he said, so he could concentrate on conversation with friends in the evening.

I could still see those afternoons in the Manchester TV studios when I was a kid with a camera.

But in the next instant, all the other timepieces ticked on into the first of the sunny afternoons the boy will never see.

Historical Examples

I'm to be in your office in the mornings, Dr. Wilson, and anywhere I am needed in the afternoons.

In the afternoons he would take a walk if the weather was nice.

On the afternoons when Coupeau felt dull, he would call on the Lorilleuxs.

That is where we play—I mean it is most pleasant there, hot afternoons.

But he rather liked to visit the graveyard on Sunday afternoons.

afternoons

afternoon

Word Origin and History for afternoons

afternoon

n.

Origin of afternoons