After Definition & Meaning

American

British

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Etymology

Examples

Synonyms after American [af-ter, ahf-] / ˈæf tər, ˈɑf- /

preposition

1. behind in place or position; following behind.

   men lining up one after the other.

2. later in time than; in succession to; at the close of.

   Tell me after supper. Day after day he came to work late.

3. subsequent to and in consequence of.

   After what has happened, I can never return.

4. below in rank or excellence; nearest to.

   Milton is usually placed after Shakespeare among English poets.

5. in imitation of or in imitation of the style of.

   to make something after a model; fashioned after Raphael.

6. in pursuit or search of; with or in desire for.

   I'm after a better job. Run after him!

7. concerning; about.

   to inquire after a person.

8. with the name of; for.

   He was named after his uncle.

9. in proportion to; in accordance with.

   He was a man after the hopes and expectations of his father.

10. according to the nature of; in conformity with; in agreement or unison with.

    He was a man after my own heart. He swore after the manner of his faith.

11. subsequent to and notwithstanding; in spite of.

    After all their troubles, they still manage to be optimistic.

adverb

1. behind; in the rear.

   Jill came tumbling after.

2. later in time; afterward.

   three hours after; happily ever after.

adjective

1. later in time; next; subsequent; succeeding.

   In after years we never heard from him.

2. Nautical, Aeronautics.

   1. farther aft.

   2. located closest to the stern or tail; aftermost.

      after hold; after mast.

   3. including the stern or tail.

      the after part of a hull.

conjunction

1. subsequent to the time that.

   after the boys left.

noun

1. British Informal. afters, the final course of a meal, as pudding, ice cream, or the like; dessert.

idioms

1. after all, despite what has occurred or been assumed previously; nevertheless.

   I've discovered I can attend the meeting after all.

after British / ˈɑːftə /

preposition

1. following in time; in succession to

   after dinner

   time after time

2. following; behind

   they entered one after another

3. in pursuit or search of

   chasing after a thief

   he's only after money

4. concerning

   to inquire after his health

5. considering

   after what you have done, you shouldn't complain

6. next in excellence or importance to

   he ranked Jonson after Shakespeare

7. in imitation of; in the manner of

   a statue after classical models

8. in accordance with or in conformity to

   a man after her own heart

9. with a name derived from

   Mary was named after her grandmother

10. past (the hour of)

    twenty after three

11. 1. in spite of everything

       it's only a game, after all

    2. in spite of expectations, efforts, etc

       he won the race after all!

12. please go, enter, etc, before me

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

1. at a later time; afterwards

2. coming afterwards; in pursuit

3. nautical further aft; sternwards

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

conjunction

1. (subordinating) at a time later than that at which

   he came after I had left

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

1. nautical further aft

   the after cabin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 after More Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing after

• day after day
• get after
• go after
• inquire after
• keep after
• live happily ever after
• look after
• morning after
• name after
• run after
• see after
• sought after
• take after
• throw good money after bad
• time after time

Related Words

See behind.

Etymology

Origin of after

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English æfter; cognate with Old Frisian efter, Old Saxon, Old High German after, Gothic aftaro, Old Norse eptir; equivalent to æf- ( aft 1 ) + -ter, suffix of comparison (cognate with Greek -teros; presbyter ( def. ) )

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.

Manus gained attention after previewing in March an AI agent capable of producing detailed research reports and building custom websites, using AI models developed by companies such as Anthropic and China's Alibaba Group.

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McGuane, who herself left a memorial there after her brother died, compared it to the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis.

From The Wall Street Journal

Manus gained attention after previewing in March an AI agent capable of producing detailed research reports and building custom websites, using AI models developed by companies such as Anthropic and China’s Alibaba Group.

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.