after-hours
/ˌɑːftər ˈaʊəz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌæftər ˈaʊərz/ (ame, ipa)
after-hours — idiom
1. After the normal working day has finished — for example, staying late at the off
After the normal working day has finished — for example, staying late at the office to complete a report, or meeting colleagues for a drink once everyone has clocked out.
Amara often stayed after hours to finish the monthly budget report before the Monday deadline.
stay after hours (remain at work past the usual time)
Ingrid and her team worked after hours on Thursday to rebuild the database before the morning shift arrived.
work after hours
Dimitri came back after hours to get his passport from his desk for an early flight the next morning.
After hours, the cleaners wheeled their trolleys through the silent office, emptying bins and polishing every desk before sunrise.
Hana and her colleagues met at a pub after hours to celebrate finishing the big project.
- overtime
specifically means working extra hours beyond the normal schedule, and usually implies additional pay; 'after hours' does not carry the idea of extra wages
- late
a broader term — you can stay late at a party, at school, or at the office; 'after hours' is more specific to the official working day ending
文法句型
verb + after hours
after hours + comma + main clause
常見錯誤
2. Drinking alcohol in a bar, pub, or club after the time when the law says alcohol
Drinking alcohol in a bar, pub, or club after the time when the law says alcohol must stop being served — in other words, carrying on drinking once the place should have closed.
Police caught a dozen customers drinking after hours at The Queen's Head and fined the owner eight hundred pounds.
drink after hours (illegal drinking past closing time)
Kwame found a pub on the edge of town that served drinks after hours if you came through the back door.
serve drinks after hours
A pub on the High Street lost its licence after neighbours filmed drinking after hours on three weekends running.
The club lost its licence after inspectors caught a large group drinking after hours at three in the morning.
- lock-in
British informal noun for an event where a pub keeps serving drinks illegally after closing; 'after hours' is the adverbial phrase describing the timing, while 'lock-in' names the whole event
文法句型
drink after hours
serve (drinks) after hours
stay open after hours
用法筆記
This sense is almost always about drinking alcohol illegally in bars and clubs — not about other kinds of after-hours illegal activity such as gambling or selling goods.
after-hours — adjective
1. Describing an activity, event, or service that takes place after a business or o
Describing an activity, event, or service that takes place after a business or organisation has officially closed for the day — for example, an after-hours phone line that operates late into the night, or an after-hours club that opens when everything else has shut.
Fatima received an after-hours call from a client who needed urgent help with the company website.
after-hours call (phone call received outside normal business hours)
The pharmacy on King Street had an after-hours window for collecting prescriptions until midnight.
after-hours window (a service point open when the main shop is closed)
Javier joined an after-hours chess club that met in the public library every Friday night.
The after-hours party at the downtown gallery drew art students and musicians who stayed dancing until nearly dawn.
The gym gave after-hours access to nurses on the night ward, who could only work out after their late shift.
- late-night
also describes something happening late, but does not imply that a business is officially closed — a 'late-night café' might simply stay open late, whereas an 'after-hours club' implies it operates once normal businesses have shut
- out-of-hours
common in British English for services like doctors or helplines; 'after-hours' is more widely understood and used for a broader range of contexts
文法句型
after-hours + noun (party, club, call, access, service)
用法筆記
This adjective is almost always used directly before a noun (attributive position). You would say 'an after-hours club' but not 'the club is after-hours.'
常見錯誤
after-hours — phrase
1. After the time when a shop, restaurant, school, or other establishment has shut
After the time when a shop, restaurant, school, or other establishment has shut its doors to the public for the day — for example, cleaners coming in once the store is closed, or a security guard patrolling an empty building at night.
The cleaners arrived after hours once the last customer had left and the shutters had been pulled down.
arrive after hours (come after the establishment has closed)
After hours, Suki walked through the empty shopping centre with a security guard to collect her forgotten bag.
walk through + place + after hours (moving through a closed venue)
The restaurant staff shared a meal after hours, sitting together with plates of food in the empty dining room.
You can only enter the building after hours with a special key card and a signed note at the security desk.
Oluwaseun stayed in the school library after hours to finish her history essay before the deadline.
- after closing
a more direct way to say the same thing; 'after closing' emphasises the moment the doors shut, while 'after hours' emphasises the stretch of time once the place is closed
文法句型
arrive after hours
enter after hours
walk through + place + after hours
用法筆記
Distinguish this from the idiom sense AFTER WORK HOURS (idiom/1), which focuses on the working day of employees. PAST CLOSING TIME is about the establishment itself being shut — cleaners, security staff, or visitors moving through a closed space, not employees staying late at their desks.