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

See Examples For:

afterward

“It’s cool to have like all the music around us, not just the environment,” Rios, 32, wearing a brown suit, said afterward.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The joint statement issued by both sides afterward did not address the issue of political prisoners.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Here’s what passed as a pool report from the event: “’I knew what I wanted to do so I just did that,’ the kid from Utah told a camera afterward.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

A number of speakers, some moved to tears, expressed afterward that they had never been more proud to be a Californian.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

When they finally met up at a TB meeting in Salzburg, Austria, they went out for a pizza dinner afterward.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

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