afterward

American  

[af-ter-werd, ahf-] / ˈæf tər wərd, ˈɑf- /

Or afterwards

adverb

1. at a later or subsequent time; subsequently.

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Etymology

Origin of afterward

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English æfterweard, alteration (with -r- of æfter after ) of æfteweard, equivalent to æfte-, æftan aft ¹ + -weard -ward

Explanation

If something happens afterward, it occurs after some original event or time. When kids get out of school at 2:00 p.m., teachers generally go home some time afterward. You might attend a reading by an author and then go to the reception afterward, or eat dinner with your family and then go out for ice cream afterward. You can also use the word afterwards — although afterward came first, from the Old English æftanweard, combining æftan, "after," and the direction suffix -weard. The original English form, aftward, was a nautical term.

Example Sentences

Joshua Joseph, the chief AI scientist at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center, compared the effect to a social-media feed and the way a few posts you linger on can quietly reshape everything you see afterward.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

Shortly afterward, lawmakers amended the country's glacier protection law to relax restrictions on mining in areas of permafrost, despite fears the new law could endanger crucial water supplies.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

What she said afterward I simply won’t repeat.

From Salon • May 22, 2026

Often, the only traces of a Gallrein appearance are posed photos shared afterward on his campaign Facebook page, the political equivalent of tears in the rain.

From Slate • May 19, 2026

It had all cleared up suddenly afterward, but at that unique moment, my face was a mass of cherry-red—and cherry-size—zits.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Related Words

• afterwards
• eventually
• late
• later
• next
• soon
• then
• thereafter