adverb
thereafter
thair-AF-ter/ˌðerˈæftər/
After that time or event.
The vase shatters; thereafter, everyone steps carefully while one person sweeps the fragments.
Etymology
In thereafter, there points to a time or event rather than a physical location. After supplies the relation of following it, making the compound mean later than that reference point.
In context
And thereafter we went back to the laboratory and our guests at our wedding, that was basically our team, our research team.
When she first started her firm and for several years thereafter, she would say, "I have a little web design company."
More examples
- She moved to Denver in May and found work soon thereafter.
- Payment is due on Friday; late fees apply thereafter.
- He retired in 2010 and rarely traveled thereafter.
Similar words
- afterward
- More common in everyday speech and less formal than thereafter.
- subsequently
- Emphasizes a later event, especially in an ordered account.