sometime after that

USAGE SUMMARY

"sometime after that" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you are referring to something that happened in the past and then referring to another event that happened afterwards. Example sentence: "He graduated college in 2015 and sometime after that, he landed his first job."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

According to Afghan officials, Kabul Bank's dealings went astray sometime after that.

The New York Times

Expect to see it in North American dealerships sometime after that.

The New York Times

Berlin Cameron was eliminated in late April and Cline Davis sometime after that.

The New York Times

Perhaps social media doesn't start for a year or more, with in-app purchases coming sometime after that.

The New York Times

Therefore, all eyes are on Couric now, to see whether she'll leave the evening news before the Presidential election, between the election and the Inauguration, or sometime after that.

The New Yorker

It will sell an additional 10 percent of Alibaba when the Chinese Internet company files to go public in the next few years, and then divest the remainder sometime after that.

The New York Times

Amyris's new chief executive, John G. Melo, who was previously British Petroleum's president for fuel operations in the United States, said that Amyris plans to begin selling biodiesel in 2010, and biofuel replacements for jet fuel and gasoline sometime after that.

The New York Times

A 14-inch version is expected sometime after that.

TechCrunch

The network is slated for completion sometime in 2008, with retail availablity sometime after that.

TechCrunch

Talks resumed a full year later and then production began sometime after that.

TechCrunch

The plan right now is to launch sometime around May in closed beta, and to the public sometime after that.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "sometime after that" to clearly indicate a sequence of events where the exact timing of the second event is not critical or known. It provides a sense of temporal order without specifying the precise interval.

Common error

Avoid using "sometime after that" when a precise timeframe is available. If you know the event occurred 'two weeks later', use that instead for clarity.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "sometime after that" functions as an adverbial phrase of time, modifying a verb or clause by indicating when an action occurred in relation to a previous event. Ludwig confirms that the expression is grammatically correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

86%

Academia

7%

Formal & Business

7%

Less common in

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "sometime after that" is a useful phrase for indicating a temporal sequence without specifying the exact time interval between events. Ludwig confirms its grammatical correctness and usability in various writing contexts. The phrase is most commonly found in news and media sources, serving to establish a clear, if imprecise, timeline. While versatile, avoid using it when a precise timeframe is known, as specificity enhances clarity. Related phrases like "afterwards" or "later on" can serve as alternatives depending on the desired level of formality and emphasis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

afterwards

Single word; interchangeable in many contexts.

subsequently

Single word; more formal than the original phrase.

following that

More concise and direct; less emphasis on time.

later on

Slightly more informal and general than the original.

thereafter

More formal and literary; implies a longer duration.

at a later time

More descriptive; less common in everyday speech.

in the aftermath

Implies a consequence or result of the initial event.

down the line

More idiomatic; suggests a progression of events.

in due course

More formal and somewhat archaic; implies an expected outcome.

eventually

Focuses on the final outcome rather than immediate succession.

FAQs

How can I use "sometime after that" in a sentence?

Use "sometime after that" to show that an event occurred at an unspecified time following a previous event. For example, "The meeting ended at noon, and "sometime after that", I grabbed lunch."

What are some alternatives to "sometime after that"?

Alternatives include "later on", "afterwards", or "subsequently depending" on the formality and context.

Is it better to use "sometime after that" or a specific timeframe?

If you have a specific timeframe, like "two days later" or "the following week", that's preferable for clarity. Use "sometime after that" when the exact timing isn't known or isn't important to the context.

What's the difference between "sometime after that" and "immediately after that"?

"Immediately after that" indicates that the second event happened very soon after the first. "Sometime after that" implies a less precise and potentially longer interval.