after

[ af-ter, ahf- ]

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

after

/ 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. after all
    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. after you
    please go, enter, etc, before me

adverb

1. at a later time; afterwards
2. coming afterwards; in pursuit
3. nautical further aft; sternwards

conjunction

1. subordinating at a time later than that at which

   he came after I had left

adjective

1. nautical further aft

   the after cabin

Word History and Origins

Origin of after¹

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 ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of after¹

Old English æfter; related to Old Norse aptr back, eptir after, Old High German aftar

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

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

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

Synonym Study

See behind.

Example Sentences

The American president is, after all, the commander in chief of the world’s most formidable fighting machine, and the figure ultimately responsible for the nation’s safety and security.

From Los Angeles Times

During his campaign, Trump flirted with those boundaries, repeatedly musing about using the military to go after domestic political opponents, or to aid in mass deportations of illegal immigrants.

From Los Angeles Times

In the just-ended campaign, Trump also hammered the outgoing administration — first President Biden, and then Vice President Kamala Harris when she took up the fight after Biden dropped out — over the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2022 after the Taliban takeover, insisting that those who oversaw the pullout should have been fired.

From Los Angeles Times

In a 2021 essay, she cited Trump’s “intensive efforts to chip away at the apolitical nature of the American military” as a means of using the armed forces to help him try to stay in power after losing the 2020 election.

From Los Angeles Times

Gaetz, a Florida congressman who resigned from the House hours after Trump announced that he would nominate him to run the Justice Department, orchestrated McCarthy’s ouster as speaker last year.

From Los Angeles Times