What Time Is Afternoon? (Full Explanation)

There are plenty of common English concepts that people always talk about. “Afternoon” is one of these, and you’ve undoubtedly heard the term many times before.

But what time is afternoon, exactly?

When does it start and when does it end?

This article exists to answer these questions.

What Time Is Afternoon?

Afternoon is a time of day that starts at 12:01 PM, and ends at 5:59 PM. The afternoon is the period in which people generally have lunch. Noon is 12:00 PM, and evening starts at 6:00 PM. Therefore, afternoon occurs after noon but before evening.

The times of the day are the following:

• Morning
• Noon
• Afternoon
• Evening
• Midnight.

Everything that happens in a day happens inside one of these time periods.

Here are some example sentences that incorporate the term “afternoon” in them:

• Right now it’s 4 pm so we’re still in the afternoon.
• Let’s meet up in the afternoon, does 1 pm work for you?
• Yeah, I’d say 12 pm counts as the afternoon, I’ll allow it.
• The afternoon is the period in which I suddenly become incredibly sleepy.

What Time Is Afternoon Tea?

Afternoon tea is generally consumed at 4 pm. This period is known as “tea time” in several countries where they drink afternoon tea. These countries include the UK, Canada, Australia and Scotland.

Afternoon tea is treated as a deeply important tradition and part of their lives.

Afternoon tea as a tradition doesn’t exist in the US. People certainly drink tea, and tea products sell all the time. However, there is no set time in which people across the country drink tea.

What Comes Before Afternoon?

The period that comes before the afternoon is noon. In fact, the “afternoon” is called that because it goes after the noon period.

“Noon” is an extremely short period, generally considered to be 12:00 pm exactly. Most people agree that 12:01 pm onwards is already the afternoon.

It’s interesting to consider the fact that noon is an extremely short period. Much like midnight, it only truly exists for one full minute. After 12:01pm starts, the afternoon starts.

What Comes After Afternoon?

The period that comes after the afternoon is the evening.

The evening is a period that starts at 6:00 pm and ends at 11:59 pm. What we consider to be the “night” occurs mostly inside of the evening. The evening is a period in which people wind down.

Conclusion

The afternoon is the time of day that starts at 12:01 pm and ends at 5:59 pm.

It’s a period very popular for activities such as meetings and get-togethers. In countries like Australia and the United Kingdom, people drink their afternoon tea.

The afternoon comes after noon and before the evening.