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

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

But we hadn’t talked at all about what would happen afterward.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

Related Words

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