The stern portion of a vessel.
"The ship was still sailing through the aft when we finally arrived at the port."
Alternative form of afternoon: the time of day from noon until early evening.
In plain English: Aft is the part of a ship that is closest to the back.
"The captain stood at the aft to watch the ship dock."
Usage: The noun "aft" is an archaic or dialectal term for afternoon and should not be used in modern standard English. Instead, simply use the word "afternoon" to refer to the time from noon until early evening.
(nautical, aeronautical) situated at or toward the stern or tail
"The captain ordered all crew members to gather aft before the storm hit."
located at the back of a boat, ship, or airplane
"The captain ordered everyone to gather aft for the evening safety briefing."
In plain English: Aft means toward the back of something, like the rear part of a ship or vehicle.
"The boat's aft deck was covered in sand after the storm."
Usage: Use "aft" only to describe positions at the rear of ships or aircraft, never for land-based objects. It functions strictly as an adjective placed before a noun, such as in "the aft deck."
At, near, or towards the stern of a vessel (with the frame of reference within the vessel).
"The captain stood aft on the deck to oversee the final docking maneuvers."
In plain English: Aft means toward the back of something, like the rear end of a boat.
"The boat drifted slowly aft after the engine failed."
Usage: Use "aft" only to describe movement toward the back end of a boat or ship from the perspective of someone already on board. Do not use it for general directions like "behind" in everyday land-based contexts.
Initialism of American Federation of Teachers.
"The union representative clarified that AFT stands for the American Federation of Teachers during the staff meeting."