thereafter

adverb

there·​af·​ter t͟her-ˈaf-tər How to pronounce thereafter (audio)
Synonyms of thereafternext
1
: after that
2
archaic : according to that : accordingly

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of thereafter in a Sentence

Thereafter, the two companies operated in full partnership. gave his farewell speech and left the room shortly thereafter
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The appellate court set a briefing schedule that stretches into mid-April and noted oral arguments will take place soon thereafter, meaning Dellinger will be out of the job for several weeks or longer. — Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Mar. 2025 Soon thereafter, with a design in hand, Ming and his team began to collaborate with specialists on realizing the project. — Bhanu Chopra, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025 Cataclysmic collisions with protoplanets, asteroids and comets are thought to be common during a planet’s formation and for the next tens to hundreds of millions of years thereafter. — Conor Feehly, Scientific American, 4 Mar. 2025 Shortly thereafter, smartphones began their rise to prominence, cutting into Skype’s territory. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for thereafter

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thereafter was before the 12th century

Rhymes for thereafter

See All Rhymes for thereafter

Browse Nearby Words

thereafter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thereafter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thereafter. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

thereafter

adverb
there·​af·​ter t͟ha-ˈraf-tər How to pronounce thereafter (audio)
t͟he-
: after that
it was returned shortly thereafter

More from Merriam-Webster on thereafter

Nglish: Translation of thereafter for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
girl-pencil-test
Challenging Standardized Test Words Quiz Vol. 3 You’re on your own for the math section.
See All