after all
prepositional phrase
- prepositional phrase (idiomatic) Anyway, in any case; indicates a statement is true regardless of other considerations; used to reinforce or explain a point. “After all, they never come home for Christmas.”
- prepositional phrase (idiomatic) In the end, however; used in referring to something that was believed to be the case, but is not; or to an outcome that is not what was expected or predicted. “They won't be coming home for Christmas after all.”
- prepositional phrase Introduces information that supports the preceding statement. “Of course he's coming to the party. After all, he did promise.”
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “after all”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details