afternoon

noun

af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün How to pronounce afternoon (audio)
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

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 Some scattered showers could start to pop up as the afternoon wears on. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 On Sunday afternoon, Venice PD shared another update to its Facebook page, writing that water conditions were too rough for rescue workers to approach the whale and give it a sedative. Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 The Republicans planned to release a copy of their report into the committee’s work on Monday afternoon. Luke Broadwater, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Phoenix police said one man died after a shooting on Saturday afternoon. The Arizona Republic, 11 Mar. 2024 The Persian community celebrated their New Year at the second annual Nowruz Market 1403 in Oakland on Saturday afternoon. Ray Chavez, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 The actress debuted a baby bump upon her arrival at the 2024 Oscars red carpet on Sunday afternoon. Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 In the 1,600, a strong breeze picked up in the middle of the afternoon. Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 Strong winds up to 60 mph continue to accelerate the fire’s rapid spread, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Guy Pearson, though potential rain in the forecast could assist firefighters Thursday afternoon. Brian Bushard, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'afternoon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of afternoon was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near afternoon

Cite this Entry

“Afternoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afternoon. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

afternoon

noun
af·​ter·​noon ˌaf-tər-ˈnün How to pronounce afternoon (audio)
: the part of day between noon and sunset
afternoon adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on afternoon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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