afternoon

English Online Dictionary. What means afternoon‎? What does afternoon mean?

English

Alternative forms

• afternoone (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English afternone, after-non, equivalent to after- +‎ noon.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɑːf.təˈnuːn/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /af.təɾˈnʉːn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌæf.tɚˈnun/
• Rhymes: -uːn

Noun

afternoon (plural afternoons)

1. The part of the day from noon or lunchtime until sunset, evening, or suppertime or 6pm.
2. (figuratively) The later part of anything, often with implications of decline.
3. (informal) A party or social event held in the afternoon.

Synonyms

• arvo (Australian); aft (dated slang); undern (UK dialect); see also Thesaurus:afternoon

Derived terms

Related terms

• forenoon

Translations

See also

Adverb

afternoon (not comparable)

1. (archaic in the singular) In the afternoon.

Related terms

• afternoons

Interjection

afternoon

1. Ellipsis of good afternoon.

References

• “afternoon”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• "afternoon, n., adv., and int.", in the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press.