View synonyms for after

after

[ af-ter, ahf- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

preposition

behind in place or position; following behind:
men lining up one after the other.
later in time than; in succession to; at the close of:
Tell me after supper. Day after day he came to work late.
subsequent to and in consequence of:
After what has happened, I can never return.
below in rank or excellence; nearest to:
Milton is usually placed after Shakespeare among English poets.
in imitation of or in imitation of the style of:
to make something after a model; fashioned after Raphael.
in pursuit or search of; with or in desire for:
I'm after a better job. Run after him!
concerning; about:
to inquire after a person.
with the name of; for:
He was named after his uncle.
in proportion to; in accordance with:
He was a man after the hopes and expectations of his father.
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.
subsequent to and notwithstanding; in spite of:
After all their troubles, they still manage to be optimistic.

adverb

behind; in the rear:
Jill came tumbling after.
later in time; afterward:
three hours after; happily ever after.

adjective

later in time; next; subsequent; succeeding:
In after years we never heard from him.
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

subsequent to the time that:
after the boys left.

noun

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

after

/ ˈɑːftə /

preposition

following in time; in succession to
after dinner
time after time
following; behind
they entered one after another
in pursuit or search of
chasing after a thief
he's only after money
concerning
to inquire after his health
considering
after what you have done, you shouldn't complain
next in excellence or importance to
he ranked Jonson after Shakespeare
in imitation of; in the manner of
a statue after classical models
in accordance with or in conformity to
a man after her own heart
with a name derived from
Mary was named after her grandmother
past (the hour of)
twenty after three
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!
after you
please go, enter, etc, before me

adverb

at a later time; afterwards
coming afterwards; in pursuit
nautical further aft; sternwards

conjunction

subordinating at a time later than that at which
he came after I had left

adjective

nautical further aft
the after cabin

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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 ) )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of after¹

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

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

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Synonym Study

See behind.

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

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