AFTERNOON

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does afternoon mean? 

• AFTERNOON (noun)
  The noun AFTERNOON has 2 senses:

1. the part of the day between noon and evening

2. a conventional expression of greeting or farewell

  Familiarity information: AFTERNOON used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• AFTERNOON (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The part of the day between noon and evening

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Context example:

he spent a quiet afternoon in the park

Hypernyms ("afternoon" is a kind of...):

day; daylight; daytime (the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside)

Meronyms (parts of "afternoon"):

midafternoon (the middle part of the afternoon)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A conventional expression of greeting or farewell

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

afternoon; good afternoon

Hypernyms ("afternoon" is a kind of...):

farewell; word of farewell (an acknowledgment or expression of goodwill at parting)

greeting; salutation ((usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting))

 Context examples 

In the afternoon the man came upon a trail.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

“If you will be good enough to call to-morrow afternoon at three o’clock I should like to chat this little matter over with you.”

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Wolf Larsen, who had sat about and listened all afternoon and never opened his mouth, had taken himself off to the galley and started his supper.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

We received a telegram from Dr. Huxtable yesterday afternoon, which told us of your discovery.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

In the afternoon she asked for Arthur, and we telegraphed for him.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Then there was the pumping plant for the artesian well, and the big cement tank where Judge Miller’s boys took their morning plunge and kept cool in the hot afternoon.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

I never saw a man so thoroughly enjoy himself amid the fragrance of lemon-peel and sugar, the odour of burning rum, and the steam of boiling water, as Mr. Micawber did that afternoon.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

In the afternoon Lydia was urgent with the rest of the girls to walk to Meryton, and to see how everybody went on; but Elizabeth steadily opposed the scheme.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

At two o’clock yesterday afternoon a small packet, wrapped in brown paper, was handed in by the postman.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) Lying down to rest in the afternoon when circumstances permit.

(ESS - Lying Down to Rest in the Afternoon When Circumstances Permit, NCI Thesaurus)