- after */*/*/
- UK [ˈɑːftə(r)] / US [ˈæftər]
adverb, preposition, conjunction
Summary:
After is used in the following ways: - as a preposition (followed by a noun): I went for a swim after breakfast. - as an adverb (without a following noun): He died on June 3rd and was buried the day after. - as a conjunction (connecting two clauses): After you'd left, I got a phone call from Stuart.1) at a later timea) when a particular time has passed, or when an event or action has endedAfter the war, I went back to work on the farm.
Essays handed in after 12.00 on Friday will not be accepted.
She is leaving the school after 20 years as headteacher.
after a while:This message arrived after everyone had gone home.
after doing something:It seems noisy at first, but after a while you get used to it.
Wash your hands after touching raw meat.
b) used for showing how much later something happensminutes/days/years etc after:His birthday is two days after mine.
She got here just a few seconds after me (= after I got here).
soon/shortly/not long after:Barlow was arrested 24 hours after arriving back in Britain.
Joe was born not long after we moved to London.
straight after (= immediately after):We got here at eleven and the others arrived soon after.
You shouldn't go swimming straight after a big meal.
c) American used in telling the time, for giving the number of minutes past the hourIt's ten after nine (= 9.10).
2) at a later position in a list or piece of writinga) following someone or something else in a list or orderN comes after M in the alphabet.
The US is our largest export market after Germany.
Kate is my best friend, after you of course.
b) following something else in a piece of writingYou don't need to put a full stop after "Mr".
What do those letters after your name mean?
3) past a place further along a road, railway etcYou turn right just after the pub.
A few hundred metres after the village the road ended and we had to stop the car.
We get off at the station after Newport.
4) when someone leaves or has lefta) if you call or shout after someone, you call or shout to them as they are leaving"And don't come back!" they yelled after him.
b) if you clean up after someone, you clean up a mess they have made when they have left or after they have finishedYou can put those toys away because I'm not clearing up after you.
c) if you close a door or gate after you, you close it as you leave a placeShe walked out, closing the door gently after her.
5) considering what happened in the pasta) used for saying that someone is influenced by past eventsAfter what happened last time, I was careful not to make the same mistake again.
They wouldn't invite John, not after the way he behaved at Sally's wedding.
b) used when there has been a surprising or disappointing result despite everything that was done in the pastAfter all that I'd done for her, she didn't even say thank you.
6) trying to catch, find, or get someone/somethinga) trying to catch someone or somethinggo/run/drive etc after (= follow and try to catch someone or something):The police are after him for burglary.
I ran after her to apologize.
His dog fell in the river and he jumped in after it.
b) informal trying to find somethingA really good French dictionary, that's what I'm after.
c) informal wanting to get something that belongs to someone elseWatch out, he's only after your money.
7) with the same name if you name a person or thing after someone, you give them the same nameShe's called Diana, after Princess Diana.
She has a street named after her.
•day after day/week after week/year after year etc
— happening again and again every day/week/year for a long timeDay after day it rained.
Many families come back to our hotel year after year.
the day/week/year etc after
— the next day/week/year etc that follows a particular onethe day after tomorrow/the week after next etc:I can start work tomorrow or the day after.
I'll see you again the day after tomorrow.
The 12th of May is the Friday after next.
See:one
English dictionary. 2014.
