midafternoon

American

[mid-af-ter-noon, -ahf-] / ˈmɪdˌæf tərˈnun, -ˌɑf- /

noun

the part of the afternoon centering approximately on three o'clock; the period approximately halfway between noon and sunset.

adjective

occurring in or pertaining to midafternoon.

a midafternoon nap.

Etymology

Origin of midafternoon

First recorded in 1895–1900; mid- + afternoon

Vocabulary lists containing midafternoon

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: mid-

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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.

The group trekked from northern Georgia—and by midafternoon on the day of their visit they had yet to go on a single ride.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026

By midafternoon, shares were trading up nearly 6% at $117 after closing 2.4% higher Tuesday to end their five-day losing run.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

By midafternoon, with little progress, some European officials weighed in publicly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Shopify’s stock drop outpaced the 0.5% slide in the S&P 500 in midafternoon trading.

From Barron's • Dec. 1, 2025

Day after day was like this, and we began to shorten our hauls, for by midafternoon both of us would be sweating and shaking with strain and fatigue.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023