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after

Pronunciation: /ˈɑːftə/
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Definition of after

preposition

  • 1in the time following (an event or another period of time):shortly after their marriage they moved to Colorado after a while he returned he’d gone out with his secretary for an after-work drink
  • in phrases indicating something happening continuously or repeatedly:day after day we kept studying
  • North American past (used in specifying a time):I strolled in about ten minutes after two
  • during the time following the departure or action of:she cooks for him and cleans up after him
  • 2behind:she went out, shutting the door after her
  • (with reference to looking or speaking) in the direction of someone who is moving further away:she stared after him
  • 3in pursuit or quest of:chasing after something you can’t have
  • 4next to and following in order or importance:in their order of priorities health comes after housing
  • 5in allusion to (someone or something with the same or a related name):they named her Pauline, after Barbara’s mother
  • in imitation of:a drawing after Millet’s The Reapers

conjunction & adverb

  • during the period of time following (an event): [as conjunction]:bath-time ended in a flood after the taps were left running [as adverb]:Duke Frederick died soon after

adjective

[attributive]
  • 1 archaic later:he was sorry in after years
  • 2nearer the stern of a ship:the after cabin

Phrases

after all

in spite of any indications or expectations to the contrary:I rang and told her I couldn’t come after all

after hours

after normal working or licensed opening hours: [as adverb]:she was going in to work after hours [as adjective]:an after-hours jazz club

after you

a polite formula used to suggest that someone goes in front of or takes a turn before oneself.

be after doing something

Irish be on the point of doing something or have just done it:the pigs were after breaking loose

Origin:

Old English æfter, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch achter

Grammar

In formal writing, after should not be used as an adverb of time. Instead use afterwards:It was not so easy to brush him off afterwards. notIt was not so easy to brush him off after. The exception to this is when it follows a word or phrase giving a measure of time. For example:But what about the year after?

after in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of after in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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