afterwards
adv.at a later time or after something else has happened. You use this to describe what you did next in a sequence of events.
adv.at a later or subsequent time. Functions as a temporal adjunct, typically referring back to a previously mentioned event or action.
“We went for dinner and saw a movie afterwards.”
“The team celebrated their victory at the stadium and then went to a local restaurant for a meal afterwards.”
“While the initial presentation was met with silence, the delegates engaged in a spirited debate afterwards, dissecting every proposal in the lobby.”
Typically placed at the end of a clause or sentence; can also appear at the beginning for emphasis, followed by a comma.
'Afterwards' is an adverb and cannot be followed by a noun; use the preposition 'after' if you want to name the specific event.
“Guardiola, whose decision to make 10 changes had backfired, threatened to quit in the dressing room afterwards.”
“Rachel travelled to northern Cyprus for the fertility treatment - and became pregnant shortly afterwards.”
Common in culture writing
From Middle English afterwardes, from Old English æfteweard (“behind”) + -s (“(adverbial genitive)”). By surface analysis, after + -wards.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.