After vs. Post: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Updated on October 7, 2023
"After" refers to a subsequent time or position, while "Post" is a prefix indicating something following an event or time.
Key Differences
"After" is a preposition, adverb, and conjunction that typically describes a sequence in time or position. "Post", while it can be used similarly, is most commonly employed as a prefix to signify something happening after a specific time or event.
Using "after" in a sentence might suggest an event taking place subsequently. For instance, "I will meet you after lunch." On the other hand, "post" often appears in compound nouns, such as "post-war," indicating the time period following a war.
In terms of position, "after" can describe a sequence, like "She placed the vase after the clock on the shelf." "Post", while less common in this context, can still be utilized in certain medical or anatomical terms, for example, "post-nasal" (behind the nose).
"After" also has a broader applicability in daily language, encapsulating concepts of pursuit or response, such as "She went after her dream." "Post" is more limited in this capacity, focusing predominantly on its role as a prefix.
"Post" also has distinct meanings not related to the concept of "after", such as relating to mail or a job position. "After", in its various uses, tends to maintain a more consistent connection to time or sequence.
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Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Preposition, Adverb, Conjunction
Prefix, Noun
Typical Use
Indicates sequence in time/position
As a prefix, indicates following a specific event/time
Examples
After lunch, After the meeting
Post-war, Post-graduation
Broader Meaning
Can imply pursuit or response
Focused mainly as a prefix; also refers to mail/job
Relationship
Describes a direct sequence or time
Often indicates a broader period following an event
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After and Post Definitions
After
In reference or comparison to.
There's no one after you in line.
Post
To make information publicly known.
He decided to post the news on social media.
After
Behind in place or order
Z comes after Y in the alphabet.
Post
A long piece of wood or other material set upright into the ground to serve as a marker or support.
After
Next to or lower than in order or importance.
Post
A support for a beam in the framework of a building.
After
In quest or pursuit of
Seek after fame.
Go after big money.
Post
A terminal of a battery.
After
Concerning
Asked after you.
Post
(Sports) A goal post.
After
Subsequent in time to; at a later time than
Come after dinner.
Post
The starting point at a racetrack.
After
Subsequent to and because of or regardless of
They are still friends after all their differences.
Post
The slender barlike part of a stud earring that passes through the ear and is secured at the back with a small cap or clip.
After
Following continually
Year after year.
Post
An electronic message sent to and displayed on an online forum
Ignored several inflammatory posts.
After
In the style of or in imitation of
Satires after Horace.
Post
A military base.
After
With the same or close to the same name as; in honor or commemoration of
Named after her mother.
Post
The grounds and buildings of a military base.
After
According to the nature or desires of; in conformity to
A tenor after my own heart.
Post
A local organization of military veterans.
After
Past the hour of
Five minutes after three.
Post
Either of two bugle calls in the British Army, sounded in the evening as a signal to retire to quarters.
After
(Irish) Used with a present participle to indicate action that has just been completed
"Sure I'm after seeing him not five minutes ago" (James Joyce).
Post
An assigned position or station, as of a guard or sentry.
After
Behind; in the rear.
Post
(Basketball) A position usually taken by the center close to the basket or below the foul line, serving as the focus of the team's offense.
After
At a later or subsequent time; afterward
Three hours after.
Departed shortly after.
Post
A position of employment, especially an appointed public office.
After
Subsequent in time or place; later; following
In after years.
Post
A place to which someone is assigned for duty.
After
Located near the stern of a vessel or the rear or an aircraft or spacecraft.
Post
A trading post.
After
Following or subsequent to the time that
I saw them after I arrived.
Post
A postal system.
After
Afternoon.
Post
A post office.
After
Afters Chiefly British Dessert.
Post
A delivery or amount of mail
Waiting for the morning's post to arrive.
After
Behind; later in time; following.
I left the room, and the dog bounded after.
They lived happily ever after.
I might come next month, or the month after.
Post
One of a series of relay stations along a fixed route, furnishing fresh riders and horses for the delivery of mail on horseback.
After
Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
We had a few beers after the game.
The time is quarter after eight.
The Cold War began shortly after WWII.
After you with the salt/paper.
I told her to shut the door after her.
Post
A rider on such a mail route; a courier.
After
Behind.
He will leave a trail of destruction after him.
Post
To display (an announcement) in a place of public view.
After
In pursuit of, seeking.
He's after a job; run after him; inquire after her health.
Post
To cover (a wall, for example) with posters.
After
In allusion to, in imitation of; following or referencing.
We named him after his grandfather; a painting after Leonardo da Vinci.
Post
To announce by or as if by posters
Post banns.
After
Next in importance or rank.
The princess is next in line to the throne after the prince.
Post
(Computers) To make (an electronic message) available by sending it to an online forum
Posted a response to a question about car engines.
After
As a result of.
After your bad behaviour, you will be punished.
Post
To put up signs on (property) warning against trespassing.
After
In spite of.
After all that has happened, he is still my friend.
I can't believe that, after all our advice against gambling, you walked into that casino!
Post
To denounce publicly
Post a man as a thief.
After
Used to indicate recent completion of an activity
I was after finishing my dinner when there was a knock on the door.
Post
To publish (a name) on a list.
After
(dated) According to an author or text.
Post
(Games) To gain (points or a point) in a game or contest; score.
After
Denoting the aim or object; concerning; in relation to.
To look after workmen; to enquire after a friend; to thirst after righteousness
Post
To assign to a specific position or station
Post a sentry at the gate.
After
(obsolete) According to the direction and influence of; in proportion to; befitting.
Post
To appoint to a naval or military command.
After
Signifies that the action of the clause it starts takes place before the action of the other clause.
I went home after we had decided to call it a day.
Post
To put forward; present
Post bail.
After
(dated) Later; second (of two); next, following, subsequent
Post
Chiefly British To mail (a letter or package).
After
At or towards the stern of a ship.
The after gun is mounted aft.
The after gun is abaft the forward gun.
Post
(Archaic) To send by mail in a system of relays on horseback.
After
Next; later in time; subsequent; succeeding; as, an after period of life.
Post
To inform of the latest news
Keep us posted.
After
Hinder; nearer the rear.
Post
To transfer (an item) to a ledger in bookkeeping.
After
Behind in place; as, men in line one after another.
Post
To make the necessary entries in (a ledger).
After
Below in rank; next to in order.
Codrus after Ph bus sings the best.
Post
(Computers) To enter (a unit of information) on a record or into a section of storage.
After
Later in time; subsequent; as, after supper, after three days. It often precedes a clause. Formerly that was interposed between it and the clause.
After I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
Post
To travel in stages or relays.
After
Subsequent to and in consequence of; as, after what you have said, I shall be careful.
Post
To travel with speed or in haste.
After
Subsequent to and notwithstanding; as, after all our advice, you took that course.
Post
To bob up and down in the saddle in rhythm with a horse's trotting gait.
After
Moving toward from behind; following, in search of; in pursuit of.
Ye shall not go after other gods.
After whom is the king of Israel come out?
Post
With great speed; rapidly.
After
Denoting the aim or object; concerning; in relation to; as, to look after workmen; to inquire after a friend; to thirst after righteousness.
Post
By post horse.
After
In imitation of; in conformity with; after the manner of; as, to make a thing after a model; a picture after Rubens; the boy takes after his father.
Our eldest son was named George after his uncle.
Post
A long dowel or plank protruding from the ground; a fencepost; a lightpost.
Ram a post into the ground
After
According to; in accordance with; in conformity with the nature of; as, he acted after his kind.
He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes.
They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh.
Post
(construction) A stud; a two-by-four.
After
According to the direction and influence of; in proportion to; befitting.
He takes greatness of kingdoms according to bulk and currency, and not after their intrinsic value.
Post
A pole in a battery.
After
Subsequently in time or place; behind; afterward; as, he follows after.
It was about the space of three hours after.
Post
(dentistry) A long, narrow piece inserted into a root canal to provide retention for a crown.
After
Located farther aft
Post
A prolonged final melody note, among moving harmony notes.
After
Happening at a time subsequent to a reference time;
He apologized subsequently
He's going to the store but he'll be back here later
It didn't happen until afterward
Two hours after that
Post
A printing paper size measuring 19.25 inches x 15.5 inches.
After
Behind or in the rear;
And Jill came tumbling after
Post
(sports) A goalpost.
After
Indicating the passage of time.
We ate after the movie.
Post
A location on a basketball court near the basket.
After
Denoting position in a sequence.
She arrived after John in the queue.
Post
(obsolete) The doorpost of a victualler's shop or inn, on which were chalked the scores of customers; hence, a score; a debt.
After
In pursuit or search of.
He ran after the bus.
Post
The vertical part of a crochet stitch.
After
As a result or consequence of.
He was named after his grandfather.
Post
(obsolete) Each of a series of men stationed at specific places along a postroad, with responsibility for relaying letters and dispatches of the monarch (and later others) along the route.
Post
(dated) A station, or one of a series of stations, established for the refreshment and accommodation of travellers on some recognized route.
A stage or railway post
Post
A military base; the place at which a soldier or a body of troops is stationed; also, the troops at such a station.
Post
Someone who travels express along a set route carrying letters and dispatches; a courier.
Post
An organisation for delivering letters, parcels etc., or the service provided by such an organisation.
Sent via post; parcel post
Post
A single delivery of letters; the letters or deliveries that make up a single batch delivered to one person or one address.
Post
A message posted in an electronic or Internet forum, or on a blog, etc.
Post
(American football) A moderate to deep passing route in which a receiver runs 10-20 yards from the line of scrimmage straight down the field, then cuts toward the middle of the field (towards the facing goalposts) at a 45-degree angle.
Two of the receivers ran post patterns.
Post
(obsolete) Haste or speed, like that of a messenger or mail carrier.
Post
(obsolete) One who has charge of a station, especially a postal station.
Post
An assigned station; a guard post.
Post
An appointed position in an organization, job.
Post
Post-production.
We'll fix it in post
Post
A post mortem investigation of body's cause of death.
Post
(transitive) To hang (a notice) in a conspicuous manner for general review.
Post no bills.
Post
To hold up to public blame or reproach; to advertise opprobriously; to denounce by public proclamation.
To post someone for cowardice
Post
(accounting) To carry (an account) from the journal to the ledger.
Post
To inform; to give the news to; to make acquainted with the details of a subject; often with up.
Post
To pay down (the stake).
Post
To pay (a blind).
Since Jim was new to the game, he had to post $4 in order to receive a hand.
Post
To travel with relays of horses; to travel by post horses, originally as a courier.
Post
To travel quickly; to hurry.
Post
To send (an item of mail etc.) through the postal service.
Mail items posted before 7.00pm within the Central Business District and before 5.00pm outside the Central Business District will be delivered the next working day.
Post
(horse-riding) To rise and sink in the saddle, in accordance with the motion of the horse, especially in trotting.
Post
(Internet) To publish (a message) to a newsgroup, forum, blog, etc.
I couldn't figure it out, so I posted a question on the mailing list.
Post
To enter (a name) on a list, as for service, promotion, etc.
Post
To assign to a station; to set; to place.
Post a sentinel in front of the door.
Post
With the post, on post-horses; by a relay of horses (changing at every staging-post); hence, express, with speed, quickly.
Post
Sent via the postal service.
Post
After; especially after a significant event that has long-term ramifications.
Post
Hired to do what is wrong; suborned.
Post
A piece of timber, metal, or other solid substance, fixed, or to be fixed, firmly in an upright position, especially when intended as a stay or support to something else; a pillar; as, a hitching post; a fence post; the posts of a house.
They shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses.
Then by main force pulled up, and on his shoulders bore,The gates of Azza, post and massy bar.
Unto his order he was a noble post.
Post
The doorpost of a victualer's shop or inn, on which were chalked the scores of customers; hence, a score; a debt.
When God sends coinI will discharge your post.
Post
The place at which anything is stopped, placed, or fixed; a station.
Post
A messenger who goes from station; an express; especially, one who is employed by the government to carry letters and parcels regularly from one place to another; a letter carrier; a postman.
In certain places there be always fresh posts, to carry that further which is brought unto them by the other.
I fear my Julia would not deign my lines,Receiving them from such a worthless post.
Post
An established conveyance for letters from one place or station to another; especially, the governmental system in any country for carrying and distributing letters and parcels; the post office; the mail; hence, the carriage by which the mail is transported.
I send you the fair copy of the poem on dullness, which I should not care to hazard by the common post.
Post
Haste or speed, like that of a messenger or mail carrier.
Post
One who has charge of a station, especially of a postal station.
He held office of postmaster, or, as it was then called, post, for several years.
Post
A station, office, or position of service, trust, or emolument; as, the post of duty; the post of danger.
The post of honor is a private station.
Post
A size of printing and writing paper. See the Table under Paper.
Post
To attach to a post, a wall, or other usual place of affixing public notices; to placard; as, to post a notice; to post playbills.
Post
To hold up to public blame or reproach; to advertise opprobriously; to denounce by public proclamation; as, to post one for cowardice.
On pain of being posted to your sorrowFail not, at four, to meet me.
Post
To enter (a name) on a list, as for service, promotion, or the like.
Post
To assign to a station; to set; to place; as, to post a sentinel.
Post
To carry, as an account, from the journal to the ledger; as, to post an account; to transfer, as accounts, to the ledger.
You have not posted your books these ten years.
Post
To place in the care of the post; to mail; as, to post a letter.
Post
To inform; to give the news to; to make (one) acquainted with the details of a subject; - often with up.
Thoroughly posted up in the politics and literature of the day.
Post
To travel with post horses; figuratively, to travel in haste.
And post o'er land and ocean without rest.
Post
To rise and sink in the saddle, in accordance with the motion of the horse, esp. in trotting.
Post
With post horses; hence, in haste; as, to travel post.
Post
The position where someone (as a guard or sentry) stands or is assigned to stand;
A soldier manned the entrance post
A sentry station
Post
Military installation at which a body of troops is stationed;
This military post provides an important source of income for the town nearby
There is an officer's club on the post
Post
A job in an organization;
He occupied a post in the treasury
Post
An upright consisting of a piece of timber or metal fixed firmly in an upright position;
He set a row of posts in the ground and strung barbwire between them
Post
United States aviator who in 1933 made the first solo flight around the world (1899-1935)
Post
United States female author who wrote a book and a syndicated newspaper column on etiquette (1872-1960)
Post
United States manufacturer of breakfast cereals and Postum (1854-1914)
Post
Any particular collection of letters or packages that is delivered;
Your mail is on the table
Is there any post for me?
She was opening her post
Post
A pole or stake set up to mark something (as the start or end of a race track);
A pair of posts marked the goal
The corner of the lot was indicated by a stake
Post
The system whereby messages are transmitted via the post office;
The mail handles billions of items every day
He works for the United States mail service
In England they call mail `the post'
Post
The delivery and collection of letters and packages;
It came by the first post
If you hurry you'll catch the post
Post
Affix in a public place or for public notice;
Post a warning
Post
Publicize with, or as if with, a poster;
I'll post the news on the bulletin board
Post
Assign to a post; put into a post;
The newspaper posted him in Timbuktu
Post
Assign to a station
Post
Display, as of records in sports games
Post
Enter on a public list
Post
Transfer (entries) from one account book to another
Post
Ride Western style and bob up and down in the saddle in in rhythm with a horse's trotting gait
Post
Mark with a stake;
Stake out the path
Post
Put up;
Post a sign
Post a warning at the dump
Post
Cause to be directed or transmitted to another place;
Send me your latest results
I'll mail you the paper when it's written
Post
Mark or expose as infamous;
She was branded a loose woman
Post
Following in time or order.
The post-war era was transformative.
Post
Relating to mail or the postal system.
I'll send the letter via post.
Post
A long, sturdy piece of timber or metal.
The fence is held up by wooden posts.
Post
A position or duty to which one is assigned.
She was appointed to a diplomatic post.
FAQs
Can "after" be used to indicate pursuit?
Yes, "after" can imply pursuit, like "chasing after someone."
What does "after" typically signify?
"After" usually indicates a sequence in time or position.
Can "after" be used as a conjunction?
Yes, "after" can be a conjunction, as in "I went home after I finished work."
How does "after" relate to position?
"After" can denote position in a sequence, like being after someone in line.
Is "post" ever used in medical terms?
Yes, "post" appears in terms like "post-operative," indicating time after surgery.
What's another meaning of "post"?
"Post" can also refer to a long, sturdy piece of timber or metal.
Is "post" ever used outside of its prefix meaning?
Yes, "post" can refer to positions, duties, or even physical structures like timber.
Is "post" related to mailing?
Yes, "post" can refer to the mail system or a specific mailed item.
Can "post" imply a broad timeframe?
Yes, "post" often indicates a broader period following an event, like "post-war."
How is "post" most commonly used?
"Post" is often used as a prefix indicating something following an event or time.
Can "after" suggest a reference?
Yes, "after" can be used in reference to, as in comparing to something.
Can "after" imply causation?
Yes, "after" can be used to mean as a result of, like being named after someone.
Is "after" a preposition?
Yes, "after" can function as a preposition, adverb, or conjunction.
Can "after" and "post" be used interchangeably?
Sometimes, but context matters. While both can indicate something subsequent, their use can vary based on specific situations.
Which is more versatile in daily language?
"After" has broader applicability in daily language than "post."
Can "post" mean to share information?
Yes, "post" can mean making information publicly known, especially online.
Does "post" always come before another word?
Often, but not always. "Post" can stand alone, especially when referring to mail or a position.
Is "post" always used to indicate something subsequent?
Not always. While often a prefix for "after," "post" also has meanings unrelated to time.
Which word is older in origin?
"After" has Old English origins, while "post" comes from Latin, making "after" older in English usage.
How does "after" relate to time?
"After" commonly indicates the passage of time following an event or moment.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
