afternoon
A1Neutral
Definition
Meaning
The period of the day from noon until evening.
A greeting used during this period; a social event or meeting held during this time; a later period in life or history.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The exact boundaries of 'afternoon' are fluid and culturally dependent, but it typically follows 'morning' and precedes 'evening'. It can be used as a noun, an adjective, and in greetings.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use 'afternoon' identically as a noun and in greetings. The compound 'afternoon tea' is more culturally specific to the UK.
Connotations
In the UK, 'afternoon' in phrases like 'afternoon tea' carries specific social and cultural connotations. In the US, 'good afternoon' can sound slightly more formal than in the UK.
Frequency
The greeting 'Good afternoon' is used in both varieties, though potentially perceived as slightly more formal in everyday American English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
in the afternoonon [day] afternoonduring the afternoonafternoon of [date/event]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Afternoon delight”
- “The afternoon of life (literary)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"The board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon."
Academic
"The seminar will reconvene in the afternoon."
Everyday
"Let's meet for coffee this afternoon."
Technical
In meteorology, used to specify time of day for data (e.g., 'afternoon temperatures').
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- We're serving afternoon tea at four.
- He took his afternoon stroll in the park.
American English
- She has an afternoon class on Wednesdays.
- Let's catch the afternoon flight.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I play football in the afternoon.
- Good afternoon! How are you?
- The weather is usually warmer in the late afternoon.
- She spent the whole afternoon reading her new book.
- By mid-afternoon, the delegates began to show signs of fatigue.
- We've scheduled the announcement for tomorrow afternoon to maximise media coverage.
- The treaty was signed on a rain-swept November afternoon in 1918.
- In the afternoon of his career, he turned his attention to mentoring young artists.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the word breaking into two parts: AFTER + NOON. It's the time that comes *after* *noon*.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME IS A JOURNEY (e.g., 'We're getting into the afternoon of the project'), LIFE IS A DAY ('in the afternoon of one's life').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating 'день' as 'afternoon'. Russian 'день' corresponds to English 'day'. 'Afternoon' is specifically 'время после полудня' or 'день' only in the context of a greeting ('Добрый день' = 'Good afternoon').
Common Mistakes
- Using 'afternoon' to mean the entire day. Incorrect: *'I worked all the afternoon.' Correct: 'I worked all afternoon' (no article) or 'I worked all day.'
- Confusing 'afternoon' with 'evening'. The shift is around 5-6 pm.
Practice
Quiz
Which phrase is a common greeting?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It loosely starts at noon (12:00 pm) and ends in the early evening (around 5:00 or 6:00 pm), though this is not strictly defined.
Primarily a noun ('I'll do it this afternoon'), but it can function as an adjective when placed before another noun ('afternoon nap', 'afternoon sun').
'Afternoon' follows noon until late day. 'Evening' typically begins around 5-6 pm and leads into night. The transition time is sometimes called 'late afternoon' or 'early evening'.
We use 'in' for parts of the day (in the morning/afternoon/evening). We use 'on' for specific days or dates (on Monday, on July 4th). When combined, the rule for the specific day overrides: 'on Monday afternoon'.
Collections
Part of a collection
Daily Routine
A1 · 50 words · Words for describing your everyday activities and schedule.
Numbers and Time
A1 · 50 words · Numbers, dates, days and expressions of time.