Does “POST” Mean Before or After?

English is a complex language with countless prefixes and suffixes. It’s easy to get them confused, especially words like “post”. When using the word “post”, does it mean before or after?

The word “post” is a prefix that must be added to something in order to modify it. When attached to a word, “post” means “after”. For example, if you had surgery, you use the phrase “postoperative” to refer to the period after the surgery. If you just use “post” on its own, it means a variety of different things, but not “after”.

What Post Means

Since post is a prefix, you must add it to a word in order for it to mean “after”. For example, the word “postgame” would mean after a game (whether it be sports, cards, etc.). It has to be attached to the word it’s modifying in order for it to become a synonym for “after”.

That means post isn’t a word for “before”. It can be confusing seeing as “post” is placed before the word it’s modifying, but post only means “after”, not “before”. However, when you’re using it on its own, post can mean a variety of things.

When it’s not used as a prefix, it can mean a post in the ground (i.e. a fence). Alternatively, it can mean a piece of writing or media posted online. There are countless definitions for how to use post as a noun or verb, but you’ll see it used as a prefix very often.

How To Use Post

As a prefix, all you have to do is attach “post” to the word you want. Although it can’t be used for every word, if you’re referring to a period of time (like a sports game, a procedure, etc.), you can use post at the beginning of the word.

Some examples of words you can attach “post” to are as follows: postgame, postseason, postpone, postnatal, postgraduate, postscript.

There are many different types of words you can attach “post” to, but most of them deal with time. Postgame means the period after a game, postseason means the period after a season, postpone means to push something later in time, and the list goes on.

If there’s a period of time you want to describe with the word “after”, consider attaching “post” to it to see if it expands your vocabulary.