afterward
Americanadverb
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Scores increased from an average of 2.37 before the retreat to 3.02 afterward.
From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026
Where AI proved more useful was in suggesting a better way of approaching the task: Instead of thinking of 10 individual words, think of 10 very different categories, and then fill in the words afterward.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Soon afterward, he was in the hospital, receiving treatment for a blockage in his bowels.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026
The controversy intensified as attention turned to how the remarks were handled afterward.
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026
Aleksandr Gridnev was never brought to trial, but throughout the war and for years afterward he had to worry that he might be.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
