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After - 8 dictionary results

af⋅ter

  [af-ter, ahf-]
Use After in a Sentence
–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
12. behind; in the rear: Jill came tumbling after.
13. later in time; afterward: three hours after; happily ever after.
–adjective
14. later in time; next; subsequent; succeeding: In after years we never heard from him.
15. Nautical, Aeronautics.
a. farther aft.
b. located closest to the stern or tail; aftermost: after hold; after mast.
c. including the stern or tail: the after part of a hull.
–conjunction
16. subsequent to the time that: after the boys left.
–noun
17. afters, British Informal. the final course of a meal, as pudding, ice cream, or the like; dessert.
—Idiom
18. after all, despite what has occurred or been assumed previously; nevertheless: I've discovered I can attend the meeting after all.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE æfter; c. OFris efter, OS, OHG after, Goth aftaro, ON eptir; equiv. to æf- (see aft ) + -ter suffix of comparison and polarity (c. Gk -teros)

Synonyms:
1. See behind.

aft

1  [aft, ahft] Nautical, Aeronautics
–adverb
1. at, close to, or toward the stern or tail: Stow the luggage aft.
–adjective
2. situated toward or at the stern or tail: The aft sail was luffing.
Origin:
bef. 950; ME afte, OE æftan from behind, equiv. to æf- opposite + -t- suffix of uncertain value + -an suffix marking motion from; c. OFris efta, OS, OHG aftan, Goth aftana, ON aptan, Gk opís(s)ō behind; not akin to Gk apó off
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To After
af·ter   (āf'tər)   
prep.  
    1. Behind in place or order: Z comes after Y in the alphabet.
    2. Next to or lower than in order or importance.
  2. In quest or pursuit of: seek after fame; go after big money.
  3. Concerning: asked after you.
  4. Subsequent in time to; at a later time than: come after dinner.
  5. Subsequent to and because of or regardless of: They are still friends after all their differences.
  6. Following continually: year after year.
  7. In the style of or in imitation of: satires after Horace.
  8. With the same or close to the same name as; in honor or commemoration of: named after her mother.
  9. According to the nature or desires of; in conformity to: a tenor after my own heart.
  10. Past the hour of: five minutes after three.
  11. Irish Used with a present participle to indicate action that has just been completed: "Sure I'm after seeing him not five minutes ago" (James Joyce).
adv.  
  1. Behind; in the rear.
  2. At a later or subsequent time; afterward: three hours after; departed shortly after.
adj.  
  1. Subsequent in time or place; later; following: in after years.
  2. Located near the stern of a vessel or the rear or an aircraft or spacecraft.
conj.  Following or subsequent to the time that: I saw them after I arrived.
n.  
  1. Afternoon.
  2. afters Chiefly British Dessert.

[Middle English, from Old English æfter; see apo- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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After

Aft"er\ ([.a]ft"t[~e]r), a. [AS. [ae]fter after, behind; akin to Goth. aftaro, aftra, backwards, Icel. aptr, Sw. and Dan. efter, OHG. aftar behind, Dutch and LG. achter, Gr. 'apwte`rw further off. The ending -ter is an old comparative suffix, in E. generally -ther (as in other), and after is a compar. of of, off. [root]194. See Of; cf. Aft.]

1. Next; later in time; subsequent; succeeding; as, an after period of life. --Marshall.

Note: In this sense the word is sometimes needlessly combined with the following noun, by means of a hyphen, as, after-ages, after-act, after-days, after-life. For the most part the words are properly kept separate when after has this meaning.

2. Hinder; nearer the rear. (Naut.) To ward the stern of the ship; -- applied to any object in the rear part of a vessel; as the after cabin, after hatchway.

Note: It is often combined with its noun; as, after-bowlines, after-braces, after-sails, after-yards, those on the mainmasts and mizzenmasts.

After body (Naut.), the part of a ship abaft the dead flat, or middle part.

After

Aft"er\, prep. 1. Behind in place; as, men in line one after another. "Shut doors after you." --Shak.

2. Below in rank; next to in order. --Shak.

Codrus after Ph?bus sings the best. --Dryden.

3. Later in time; subsequent; as, after supper, after three days. It often precedes a clause. Formerly that was interposed between it and the clause.

After I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. --Matt. xxvi. 32.

4. Subsequent to and in consequence of; as, after what you have said, I shall be careful.

5. Subsequent to and notwithstanding; as, after all our advice, you took that course.

6. Moving toward from behind; following, in search of; in pursuit of.

Ye shall not go after other gods. --Deut. vi. 14.

After whom is the king of Israel come out? --1 Sam. xxiv. 14.

7. Denoting the aim or object; concerning; in relation to; as, to look after workmen; to inquire after a friend; to thirst after righteousness.

8. In imitation of; in conformity with; after the manner of; as, to make a thing after a model; a picture after Rubens; the boy takes after his father.

To name or call after, to name like and reference to.

Our eldest son was named George after his uncle. --Goldsmith.

9. According to; in accordance with; in conformity with the nature of; as, he acted after his kind.

He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes. --Isa. xi. 3.

They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. --Rom. viii. 5.

10. According to the direction and influence of; in proportion to; befitting. [Archaic]

He takes greatness of kingdoms according to bulk and currency, and not after their intrinsic value. --Bacon.

After all, when everything has been considered; upon the whole.

After (with the same noun preceding and following), as, wave after wave, day after day, several or many (waves, etc.) successively.

One after another, successively.

To be after, to be in pursuit of in order to reach or get; as, he is after money.

After

Aft"er\, adv. Subsequently in time or place; behind; afterward; as, he follows after.

It was about the space of three hours after. --Acts. v. 7.

Note: After is prefixed to many words, forming compounds, but retaining its usual signification. The prefix may be adverbial, prepositional, or adjectival; as in after- described, after-dinner, after-part. The hyphen is sometimes needlessly used to connect the adjective after with its noun. See Note under After, a., 1.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : After
Spanish: después (de),
German: nach,
Japanese: ～のあとに
More Translations »

after 
O.E. æfter "after, next, following in time," from O.E. of "off" (see apo-) + -ter a comparative suffix; thus originally meaning "more away, farther off." After hours "after regular working hours" is from 1861. Afterglow first attested 1873; aftershock is from 1894; after-life first recorded 1593; afterthought is from 1661. A combination that ought to have survived is after-wit "wisdom that comes too late" (1579).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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after

In addition to the idioms beginning with after, also see 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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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