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

According to Takhar, one of the central challenges in frying is preventing oil from moving into food both during cooking and immediately afterward.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

They were spotted together multiple times soon afterward, including holding hands in Los Angeles the day after the Chargers’ seasonopener in Brazil last September.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Surge, which figures we must be living in truly dark times if even a trip to Taco Bell can make you feel gross afterward.

From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026

And I’m happy to say that this particular manager was one of my professional references for years afterward.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

But I want to do it first and tell people afterward.

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan

Related Words

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