morning after, the

Idioms  

1. The unpleasant results of an earlier activity, especially overindulgence in alcohol. For example, A headache is just one of the symptoms of the morning after. This expression originated in the late 1800s as a synonym for a hangover (and was often put as the morning after the night before). By the mid-1900s, however, it was also being used more loosely for the aftereffects of staying up late.

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Example Sentences

The morning after the polls closed, Caruso was ahead by 5 percentage points — 42% to Bass’ 37% — and the former Republican called the early results “a victory story.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

On the morning after the Lakers got swept out of the playoffs and the Dodgers lost their fourth consecutive game, Magic Johnson flashed his trademark smile and stepped to the podium to talk soccer.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Wayfair stock fell sharply Thursday morning after the furniture retailer reported mixed earnings in the midst of a rough furniture market.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

People in Brenchley, Matfield, Pembury, Lamberhurst and surrounding villages lost their supply on Thursday morning after the fault on a key main from Bewl Water Treatment Works, in East Sussex.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

The morning after the funeral, she insisted she wouldn’t even want to go now.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns