after all

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

After all is used to add a reason — or to note that something turned out differently. Two jobs, and the position tells you which.

At the start of a sentence it introduces a justification, as in after all, nobody asked him to. At the end it marks a reversal, so saying that somebody came after all means they had not been expected. That second use is the one learners find slippery, because the phrase looks the same and means something entirely different depending on where it sits.

Definitions of after all

1phraseafter allUsed to introduce a reason or justification.B2
“After all, it was his money in the first place.”
2phrasehappenedUsed to say that something happened contrary to expectation.B2
“The train was not cancelled after all.”

Practised in A Man Called Ove, Small Talk & Everyday Phrases

First appears in chapter 9 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

← Vocabulary

after all

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

After all is used to add a reason — or to note that something turned out differently. Two jobs, and the position tells you which.

Definitions of after all

1phraseafter allUsed to introduce a reason or justification.B2
“After all, it was his money in the first place.”
2phrasehappenedUsed to say that something happened contrary to expectation.B2
“The train was not cancelled after all.”

Practised in A Man Called Ove, Small Talk & Everyday Phrases

First appears in chapter 9 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word