Dictionary.com

afterschool

or af·ter-school

[ af-ter-skool, ahf- ]
/ ˈæf tərˌskul, ˈɑf- /
Save This Word!

adjective
for students and taking place after they finish their day in school, usually in the late afternoon: He’s looking for an afterschool job.Is there afterschool tutoring in math?
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of afterschool

First recorded in 1905–10; after + school1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT AFTERSCHOOL

What does afterschool mean?

Afterschool describes something for students that takes place after their schooling is done for the day. 

Afterschool can describe just about anything that takes place after a school day ends. At school, students might attend afterschool care when they’re too young to be home alone. They might belong to afterschool clubs, which have meetings at the end of the school day, such as a robotics club or a drama club. Students could play afterschool sports, being part of a team that practices and has games outside of school hours. 

Students might also do things away from school that happen immediately after the end of school or only take place outside of school hours, such as an afterschool job or an afterschool program not held at the school.

Afterschool is most often used in reference to students who are teens or younger and attend nursery school, primary school, or secondary school

Afterschool can also be spelled after-school. After school is used to indicate a time later than school hours, as in Tanya walked home with her friends after school and then promptly did her homework.

Example: Leoni had to stay in afterschool care every day when they were young because their parents worked late.

Where does afterschool come from?

The first records of the term afterschool come from around the early 1900s. It combines the terms after and school.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to afterschool?

  • after-school (alternative spelling)

What are some words that share a root or word element with afterschool

What are some words that often get used in discussing afterschool?

How is afterschool used in real life?

Afterschool is used to describe activities and events that take place once the school day ends, particularly for schools whose students are teens or younger.

 

Try using afterschool!

Is afterschool used correctly in the following sentence?

“Toby is going to the park afterschool.”

How to use afterschool in a sentence

FEEDBACK