after

AF-tur/ˈæftəɹ/UKAHF-tuh/ˈɑːftə/

17 meanings of after

1
following (time)preposition
Later than something, often because of it or in spite of it.
Think of it like the next carriage on a train: it comes along once the first has passed.
We had a drink after the game.
The shop opens after nine.
UsageUse a noun or an -ing word after it: after school, after eating.
Similarfollowing
Oppositebefore
2
conjunction
Once something has happened, as in 'after we ate'.
After we had eaten, we went for a walk.
The show ends after the singer bows.
UsageFor the future, use the present: call me after you arrive.
Similaronce, when
Oppositebefore
3
adverb
Later, or behind, with the thing left unsaid, as in 'the month after'.
We had dinner first and went for a walk along the river after.
The concert is this Friday, and the second show is the Friday after.
UsageOften in the day after or the year after.
Similarlater, afterwards, afterward, behind, subsequently
Oppositebefore, earlier, beforehand
Note
4
chasingpreposition
Trying to get or catch, as in 'after a job'.
He's after a job in the city.
The police are after him.
UsageWhat are you after? means what do you want?
Note
5
modeled onpreposition
Named for, or copied from, as in 'named after his grandfather'.
My parents named our new puppy after a famous baseball player.
The painting is after Leonardo.
UsageSay a baby is named after someone.
Note
6
preposition
Used to show that something comes next, or later, in a list, a row of things, or a piece of writing.
The letter Q comes right after P in the alphabet.
My name is after yours on the class list.
UsageSay right after: Q comes right after P.
Oppositebefore
Note

Less common meanings

7
preposition
Used to say that a place is past another place, farther along a road or path.
Turn left just after the gas station.
Our house is the second one after the church.
UsageUse it in directions: turn left after the bank.
Similarpast, beyond
Oppositebefore
Note
8
again and againpreposition
Again and again, in phrases like 'day after day'.
He worked day after day without rest.
Mile after mile of desert passed the window.
UsageUse a singular noun with no 'a' or 'the': day after day, hour after hour.
9
cleaning uppreposition
Putting right the mess someone else has made, as in 'clean up after you'.
The kids are old enough to clean up after themselves now.
She spends her life tidying up after the children.
UsagePut who made the mess after it, not the mess: clean up after the kids.
10
next in rankpreposition
Next below in order or rank, as in 'second after the king'.
The vice president is the most important person in the country after the president.
Milan is the largest city in Italy after Rome.
UsageSay her favorite game after tennis: the next best.
Similarbehind, below
11
care forpreposition
About, or concerned with, as in 'look after' or 'ask after'.
Who will look after the children?
My sister will look after our cat this weekend.
UsageSay look after for take care of: look after the kids.
12
result photonouncountable
The 'after' picture in a before-and-after pair.
The hair salon posts a before and an after for every new haircut.
The after shows the same room with fresh paint and new floors.
UsageThe plural is afters, often paired with befores: befores and afters.
Oppositebefore
13
preposition
Behind, as in 'shut the door after you'.
Shut the door after you.
He left a trail of mud after him.
Similarbehind
Oppositebefore
Note
14
of later yearsadjectivedated
Later, or coming next, as in 'in after years'.
In after years, she often thought about that summer by the lake.
The amends he had made in after life were lost sight of in the dramatic glare of the original act.
1886, Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of CasterbridgeHere, after means later, so after life is the later part of a person's life.
UsageToday people say later: in later years.
Similarlater, subsequent
Oppositeearlier
Note
15
just doneprepositiondialectalIrelandNewfoundland
In Irish English, 'have just', as in 'I'm after eating'.
I was after finishing my dinner when he knocked.
She's after telling me the news.
UsageCompare I'm after a job, which means I want a job.
Note
16
prepositionobsolete
According to what a writer or rule says, or in a way that matches something.
Note
17
adjective
At the back of a ship or aircraft, as in 'the after cabin'.

Practice

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Origin

From Old English "æfter," going back to Proto-Germanic and an old Proto-Indo-European root meaning "further behind" or "further away."

Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

After comes from Old English æfter, through Proto-Germanic, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European form meaning “further behind, further away.” en.wiktionary.org