Afterwards
/ˈæftərwərdz/
adverbBeginner📊CommonTime
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
Following an event or action in time.
/ˈæftərwərdz/
adverbneutralBeginner
Time
At a later time; subsequently.
Let's have a meeting, and afterwards we can go for lunch.
💡 Simply: Later on.
More Examples
2
She finished her homework and afterwards relaxed with a book.
How It's Used
General Conversation
"We had dinner, and afterwards we went to the cinema."
From Middle English *afterwardes, from after + ward(s). The ‘s’ is a pluralizing suffix that has become vestigial.
The word has been used in a similar manner throughout its history, indicating a sequence of events.
Memory tip
Think 'after' and 'words' - the words that come after something else.
Word Origin
Original meaning
"after + ward (direction, time)"
Base: after
shortly afterwardsimmediately afterwardssoon afterwards
Common misspellings
afterwards'afterword
Practice
Usage
60%Spoken
40%Written