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afternoon

/af.təɾˈnʉːn/

When used as a noun, "afternoon" can be both countable (e.g., "I spent three afternoons studying") and uncountable (e.g., "Afternoon is my favorite time of day"). When used as an adjective, it usually comes before the noun it describes, such as in "afternoon tea" or "afternoon sun." In greetings, "Good afternoon" is a polite and standard way to say hello from 12:00 PM until approximately 5:00 PM or 6:00 PM.

💬Casual Conversation

🎬Tuesday at 1:15 PM in a corporate office hallway.
Jessica

Where are you? The client call is this afternoon and you're totally MIA.

Jessica
Mark
Mark

Chill, Jess. Just grabbing a snack. I'll wing it.

💡
Jessica is panicked about a deadline, using 'MIA' (Missing In Action) to describe Mark's absence. Mark responds with 'wing it', an idiom meaning to improvise without preparation, highlighting his slacker persona and the central importance of the scheduled afternoon meeting.

Meanings

noun

The time from noon or lunchtime until the evening.

"I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon."

adjective

Occurring in or characteristic of the afternoon.

"She enjoys taking an afternoon nap to recharge her energy."

Related Words

Last Updated: May 22, 2026Report an Error