afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 

1

: the part of day between noon and sunset

2

: a relatively late period (as of time or life)

in the afternoon of the 19th century

afternoon adjective

Synonyms

• afterlife
• age
• autumn
• evening

Examples of afternoon in a Sentence

morning, afternoon, evening, and night

I'll see you again tomorrow afternoon.

It was early afternoon when I left.

She spent the afternoon at the library.

I remember the many rainy afternoons I spent reading at the library.

She doesn't have class on Friday afternoons.

It took us all afternoon to get there.

It's going to be a long afternoon listening to lectures.

Recent Examples on the Web

The cameras roll, and the sea and sky, with a click of a mouse, become a tropical afternoon and a gentle swell, and Sandokan sails once more. —John Bleasdale, Variety, 21 Feb. 2025

On the same evening, Liverpool toiled their way to a 2-2 draw versus Aston Villa and could find themselves only five points ahead of second-place Arsenal in the league standings come Sunday afternoon. —Julia Ranney, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025

Performances are Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, as well as on March 1 and 2. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025

The same man was seen on video footage climbing out of Zhuang's second-story window the afternoon before she was found dead. —Julia Bonavita, Fox News, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English afternone, from after- after- + none noon

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing afternoon

• good afternoon
• make a day/night/morning/afternoon/evening of it
• the other day/night/morning/afternoon/evening
• this afternoon

Rhymes for afternoon

• forenoon
• honeymoon
• laocoon
• opportune
• pantaloon
• picayune
• tablespoon
• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• buffoon

Kids Definition

afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün 

: the part of day between noon and sunset

afternoon adjective