How do you use the word "after" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "after": Pull into shape after washing. You asked after her? What did she say?

After Meaning

/ˈɑːftə/

Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

advBehind; later in time; following.

prepSubsequently to; following in time; later than.

Sentence Examples

Pull into shape after washing.

You asked after her? What did she say?

I'll call you after I've spoken to them.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

later afterwards afterward

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

Please call me ____ you finish your work for the day.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

We usually have a light dinner ____ we finish our work for the day.

Word Origin & History

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep(o)teros Proto-Germanic *after Old English æfter Middle English after English after From Middle English after, from Old English æfter, from Proto-West Germanic *aftar, from Proto-Germanic *after, *aftiri, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epoteros (“further behind, further away”), from *h₂epo (“off, away”). Cognate with Scots efter (“after”), North Frisian efter (“after, behind”), West Frisian after, achter, efter (“behind; after”), Low German and Dutch achter (“behind”), German after- (“after-”), Danish and Swedish efter (“after”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk etter (“after”), Faroese and Icelandic eftir (“after”). The Irish usage to indicate recent completion of an activity is a calque of the Irish collocation Táim tar éis... (“I have just...”, literally “I am after...”).

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West." — 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

"After early sparring, Spurs started to take control as the interval approached and twice came close to taking the lead. Terry blocked Rafael van der Vaart's header on the line and the same player saw his cross strike the post after Adebayor was unable to apply a touch." — 2012 April 15, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea”, in BBC:

"From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away." — 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:

"Paper after paper spells out how vulnerable we are to internet-induced brain rot." — 2024 December 9, Siân Boyle, “Is doom scrolling really rotting our brains? The evidence is getting harder to ignore”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 26 Feb 2026:

"He was after walking on the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before, all the way from the County Limerick, where his brother, Father John, has a parish; and you may believe, the poor man was tired" — 1875, Patrick Kennedy, Evenings in the Duffrey, page 283:

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