after

preposition
UK: /ˈɑːftər/
US: /ˈæftər/

  1. Following in time; later.

    1. We ate dinner after the movie. [ ] [ ]
    2. Shortly after the rain began, the sun appeared, creating a vibrant rainbow. [ ] [ ]

  2. Behind in place or order.

    1. She ran after the bus. [ ] [ ]
    2. The dog bounded after the ball, eager to retrieve his favorite toy. [ ] [ ]

  3. In pursuit of.

    1. The police are after him. [ ] [ ]
    2. She is constantly after new experiences and adventures to enrich her life. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

following subsequent later behind
after adverb

  1. Following in time.

    1. We left soon after. [ ] [ ]
    2. The team celebrated their victory, and the party continued long after midnight. [ ] [ ]

  2. Behind.

    1. They arrived soon after. [ ] [ ]
    2. The second runner finished only a few seconds after the leader, making it a close race. [ ] [ ]
after conjunction

  1. Following in time; subsequently.

    1. After they left, I cleaned. [ ] [ ]
    2. After the presentation concluded, the audience engaged in a lively question-and-answer session. [ ] [ ]

  2. Despite something.

    1. After all that, she won. [ ] [ ]
    2. After all the challenges and setbacks, the project was finally completed successfully. [ ] [ ]
after adjective

  1. Following in time or order.

    1. The after part was good. [ ] [ ]
    2. The after effects of the storm were still evident days later, with debris scattered everywhere. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "after" in English means: Following in time; later., Behind in place or order., In pursuit of..

The phonetic transcription of "after" is /ˈɑːftər/ in British English and /ˈæftər/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "after": following, subsequent, later, behind.

Example usage of "after": "We ate dinner after the movie.". More examples on the page.