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After vs To - What's the difference?

after | to |

As nouns the difference between after and to

is that after is anus while to is thaw, weather conditions that make snow and ice melt.

after

English

Alternative forms

* afther * aftre (obsolete)

Adverb

(-)
  • Behind; later in time; following.
  • They lived happily ever after .
    I left the room, and the dog bounded after .

    Derived terms

    * after-effect * aftermarket * aftermath * aftertaste * afterwards * go after

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.}}
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=April 15, author=Phil McNulty, work=BBC
  • , title= Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea , passage=After early sparring, Spurs started to take control as the interval approached and twice came close to taking the lead. Terry blocked Rafael van der Vaart's header on the line and the same player saw his cross strike the post after Adebayor was unable to apply a touch.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-08, volume=407, issue=8839, page=52, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= The new masters and commanders , passage=From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.}}
  • Behind.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps,
  • In pursuit of, seeking.
  • In allusion to, in imitation of; following or referencing.
  • Next in importance or rank.
  • As a result of.
  • In spite of.
  • I can't believe that, after all our advice against gambling, you walked into that casino!
  • (Used to indicate recent completion of an activity)
  • *
  • *
  • * '>citation
  • *
  • *
  • (dated) According to an author or text.
  • Denoting the aim or object; concerning; in relation to.
  • to look after''' workmen; to enquire '''after''' a friend; to thirst '''after righteousness
  • (obsolete) According to the direction and influence of; in proportion to; befitting.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • He takes greatness of kingdoms according to bulk and currency, and not after their intrinsic value.

    Usage notes

    * The Irish English usage example is equivalent to "I had just finished my dinner when .".

    Derived terms

    * after one's own heart * after you * after-five * afternoon * go after * look after * name after

    Conjunction

    (English Conjunctions)
  • (Signifies that the action of the clause it starts takes place before the action of the other clause).
  • :
  • *
  • *:It is never possible to settle down to the ordinary routine of life at sea until the screw begins to revolve. There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.
  • *1991 , Donald "Shadow" Rimgale (character), (Robert DeNiro) (actor),
  • *:So you punched out a window for ventilation. Was that before or after you noticed you were standing in a lake of gasoline?
  • *{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= David Van Tassel], [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/lee-dehaan Lee DeHaan
  • , title= Wild Plants to the Rescue , volume=101, issue=3, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Plant breeding is always a numbers game.

    Adjective

    (head)
  • (dated) Later; second (of two); next, following, subsequent
  • * 1834 , (w), A Narrative of the Life of , Nebraska 1987, p. 72:
  • I did verily believe in my own mind, that I couldn't fight in that way at all; but my after experience convinced me that this was all a notion.
  • * 1886 , (Thomas Hardy),
  • The amends he had made in after life were lost sight of in the dramatic glare of the original act.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=In the old days, […], he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned. But he had then none of the oddities and mannerisms which I hold to be inseparable from genius, and which struck my attention in after days when I came in contact with the Celebrity.}}
  • (nautical, where the frame of reference is within the ship) At or towards the stern of a ship.
  • Usage notes

    * As shown in the examples above, the adverb in this nautical usage is (aft) and the related preposition is (abaft).

    Derived terms

    *

    References

    * Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition , Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

    Statistics

    *

    to

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (dialectal) ter * (contraction) t' * (abbreviation)

    Particle

    (en-part)
  • I want to leave.
    He asked me what to do.
    I don’t know how to say it.
    I have places to''' go and people '''to see.
  • * 1711 , :
  • To' err is human, ' to forgive divine.
  • * , Scene 1:
  • To be, or not to be: that is the question: /
  • * 2010 July, , headline [http://web.archive.org/web/20100705003703/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gfMucgz8wUGUNUNXRyIyqzY6lWwQD9GM98N83]:
  • Odds are, BP to get new CEO this year
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=April 10 , author=Alistair Magowan , title=Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=To' that end, the home supporters were in good voice ' to begin with, but it was Newcastle who started the game in the ascendancy, with Barton putting a diving header over the top from Jose Enrique's cross.}}
  • "Did you visit the museum?" "I wanted to , but it was closed."
    If he hasn't read it yet, he ought to .

    Derived terms

    * going to / gonna * got to / gotta * have to / hafta * ought to / oughta * supposed to / supposta * used to / usta * want to / wanna * fixing to / finna

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • In the direction of, and arriving at.
  • We are walking to the shop.
  • * 2013 September 28, , " London Is Special, but Not That Special," New York Times (retrieved 28 September 2013):
  • Driven by a perceived political need to adopt a hard-line stance, Mr. Cameron’s coalition government has imposed myriad new restrictions, the aim of which is to reduce net migration to Britain to below 100,000.
  • He devoted himself to education.
    They drank to his health.
  • That is something to do.
  • His face was beaten to a pulp.
  • similar to''' ...'', ''relevant '''to''' ...'', ''pertinent '''to''' ...'', ''I was nice '''to''' him'', ''he was cruel '''to''' her'', ''I am used '''to walking.
  • (arithmetic)
  • one to one = 1:1
    ten to one = 10:1.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2012 , date=April 22 , author=Sam Sheringham , title=Liverpool 0-1 West Brom , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=In total, the Reds had 28 shots to their opponent's nine, and 15 corners to the Baggies' three.}}
  • (arithmetic) .
  • Three squared or three to the second power is nine.
    Three to the power of two is nine.
    Three to the second is nine.
  • I gave the book to him.
  • (time) Preceding.
  • ten to''' ten'' = 9:50; ''We're going to leave at ten '''to (the hour).
  • (Canada, UK, Newfoundland, West Midlands) at
  • Stay where you're to and I'll come find you, b'y.

    See also

    * at

    Adverb

    (-)
  • Toward a closed, touching or engaging position.
  • Please push the door to .
  • * 1913 ,
  • He went in his room, pushed the door to , without fastening the latch.
  • (nautical) Into the wind.
  • Synonyms

    * closed, shut

    Antonyms

    * open, ajar

    See also

    * come to * heave to * lean-to * set-to * to and fro * (English Citations of "to")

    References

    * Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition , Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

    Statistics

    *