Learning the prefix post is a great way to quickly and easily increase your English vocabulary. I have collected some common words that use this prefix and organized them in a way that’s easy to understand.
The prefix post is used in nouns, verbs, and adjectives to mean after.
A post-graduate is someone who continues to study after they have graduated from University.
You will find new vocabulary that uses the prefix post and see their definitions with natural example sentences to help you understand these words. Start using them in your own conversations today.
The Prefix Post
post prefix (in nouns, verbs, and adjectives)
– after
- a postgraduate
Word Origin:
from Latin post ‘after, behind’.
The Word Post・Noun and Verb
post noun
1. (also mail North American English, British English)
[uncountable] the official system used for sending and delivering letters, packages, etc.
- I’m expecting an important letter, did you check the post this morning? (UK English)
- I’m expecting an important letter, did you check the mail this morning? (North American English)
2. Internet a message sent to a discussion group on the internet; a piece of writing that forms part of a blog
- This is a blog post about the prefix post-.
3. a job, especially an important one in a large organization
- an academic post/a government post/a military post
- After he got his degree in political studies, James got a nice government post in Ottawa.
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4. (often in compounds)
a piece of wood or metal that is set in the ground in a position pointing upwards, especially to support something or to mark a point
- The storm damaged most of my fence. I have to buy some new fence boards and fence posts today.
(as) dumb as a post – (informal) very dumb
・”Oliver is a great football player, but when you talk to him you realize that he’s as dumb as a post.”
post verb
1. to put information or pictures on a website
- Wendy posted photos from her trip on Facebook.
2. to put somebody, especially a soldier, in a particular place so that they can guard a building or area
- A police officer was posted outside the door to protect the witness.
3. to put a notice, etc. in a public place so that people can see it
- The final exam scores are posted outside the classroom door.
| SYNONYM display |
4. to pay money to a court so that a person accused of a crime can go free until their trial
- The suspect had the choice to remain in jail or post a $5,000 bond to go free until the trial.
Keep Somebody Posted (about/on something) – to regularly give somebody the most recent information about something and how it is developing
・”We are still waiting to hear from the bank, but I’ll keep you posted. If I hear something I will tell you right away.”
Post Words Relating To Mail
postal – adjective – connected with the official system for sending and delivering letters, etc.
- The U.S. postal system began on July 26, 1775. SOURCE
Below are some common compound words with the adjective postal.
- postal code
“Don’t forget to write the postal code on the bottom of the envelope.” - postal district (UK)
“I don’t live in that postal district anymore.” - postal ballot
“Many countries have chosen to stop using postal ballots in elections.”
Go Postal (especially North American English, informal) to become very angry
・“I hate giving my boss bad news, he always goes postal on me even though it’s not my fault. I’m just the messenger.”
postbox – A public box that you can drop letters into that you wish to be delivered.
- Walk down Center Street and turn right on 11th Avenue. There’s a big red postbox on the corner, you can’t miss it.
Learn how to use the common English expression You Can’t Miss It at my blog post here: You can’t miss it – English expression (Images & Video)
postcard – A card that you send in the mail without an envelope. Usually, there’s a picture on one side.
- Walter sent his family many postcards from his trip around South America.
post office – A government office that sells stamps and helps you to send letters, packages Etc.
- Every November I take Christmas presents for my family to the post office near my house. It takes a few weeks for the gifts to get to Canada from Japan so I have to send them out early.
post office box (Also called a P.O. box) – An address or location, usually in an office, where you can have mail delivered.
- I use a P.O. Box for business mail. It’s easier.
Postman/Postwoman – The person who delivers mail to your house.
- I go jogging every morning. I always say hi to the postman when I see him.
Post Prefix Spelling
Some of the words on this list are written with a hyphen (-) and some are not. Many of these words can be written either way. The spelling I included in this list comes from the way it is written in the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary or another source that I used. (Often Wikipedia.)
I have written them with correct spelling but there may be more than one way to spell each word. (Basically – don’t stress about it too much!)
Post Meaning After
I found a list online of 1000 words that begin with the prefix post. I went through this long list and tried to find the words starting with this prefix that are connected to common English words. The new word has a clear meaning of AFTER or behind.
I included some common words whose meaning is behind or after but they are not true prefix words. The word that comes after POST- is not a common word that is used by itself. See if you can tell which ones they are.
Next, I put these words in the category groups as an easy reference for you.
If you can think of any Post Prefix Words that I left out, please tell me in the comments!
Post Prefix Words (Verbs)
post-date – post-date something to write a date on a check that is later than the actual date so that the check cannot be cashed (= exchanged for money) until that date
- I post-dated the check and gave it to the repairman.
postpone – to arrange for an event, etc. to take place at a later time or date than originally planned
- The couple decided to postpone the wedding until next year.
- The concert has been postponed until next month due to the weather.
Word origin: late 15th cent.: from Latin postponere, from post ‘after’ + ponere ‘to place’.
post up – to take up a position against a defender in the post in basketball while standing with one’s back to the basket
- Grayson is the tallest player on the team so the coach tells him to post up every game.
Post Prefix Words (Nouns)
postgraduate – a person who already holds a first degree and who is doing advanced study or research
- The school sent out the information to all postgraduates.
- After completing her undergraduate degree, she decided to pursue a postgraduate degree in law.
posthumanism – a philosophical term used to mean “after humanism” or “beyond humanism.” Humanism is the philosophical idea that stresses the potential of humans due to their ability to think and reason. (I included this word because I often hear it in philosophical discussions. I don’t think it’s very common in conversation though.)
post-impressionism – the work or style of a group of artists in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century that came after and reacted against Impressionism (= a style of painting developed in France in the late nineteenth century)
post-Impressionist – an artist who paints in the style of post-Impressionism
- Vincent van Gogh was a popular post-impressionist painter. (Post-impressionist is the name for an artist who painted during this time.)
post-it – post-it note – a small piece of colored, sticky paper that you use for writing a note on, and that can be easily removed
- My office is covered in Post-it notes, they help me to remember all the tasks I have to do in a day.
- I always have Post-it notes handy to jot down reminders and to-do lists.
| I always use Post-it notes to organize my school work. |
postmodernist – an artist, architect or writer who works in the style of postmodernism
- The author is known for her postmodernist novels that blur the lines between reality and fiction.
- Andy Warhol is an example of a postmodernist artist.
postmodernism – a style and movement in art, architecture, literature, etc. in the late 20th century that reacted against modern styles, for example by mixing features from traditional and modern styles
post-mortem – a medical examination of the body of a dead person in order to find out how they died
- The police medical examiner carried out a post-mortem to determine the cause of death.
post-nasal drip – More mucus than normal gathers and drips down the back of your throat.
- Ian suffers from post-nasal drip. He’s always coughing and clearing his throat.
- Post-nasal drip can cause a sore throat and cough.
post-partum – post-partum depression – a medical condition in which a woman feels very sad and anxious in the period after her baby is born, and may have negative thoughts or problems dealing with normal life
- Post-partum depression can occur after giving birth and may require medical treatment.
- Soon after her baby was born, Jeanette experienced some post-partum depression.
post-traumatic stress disorder – a mental illness following a very frightening or shocking experience, which usually involves feeling anxious and depressed and having frightening thoughts
- Many soldiers experience post-traumatic stress disorder when they returned home after combat. This condition is sometimes referred to as PTSD.
postscript – an extra message that you add at the end of a letter after you sign your name
- I added a postscript to my letter to include some additional information.
- Whenever I write a letter to my wife I always add a postscript at the bottom of the page. P.S. I love you!
Post Prefix Words (Adjectives and Adverbs)
postapocalyptic – existing or occurring after a catastrophically destructive disaster or apocalypse (Often used to describe the setting of films, books, etc.
- Postapocalyptic movies and books imagine a world after a catastrophic event like a nuclear war or a pandemic.
- “Mad Max: Fury Road” is my favorite postapocalyptic movie.
postgame / post-match – occurring after a game
- I like to hear what the players have to say in the postgame interviews.
| After the victory, the team enjoyed a postgame celebration in the locker room. |
post hoc – (of an argument, etc.) happening after the event, especially when one event is the cause of another
- The pharmaceutical company gave a post hoc analysis of the first clinical trials of their new vaccine.
post-haste – adverb – as quickly as you can
- I need this report finished post-haste.
- He rushed to the airport post-haste to catch his flight.
Word origin: mid-16th cent.: from the direction “haste, post, haste”, formerly given on letters.
posthumous – happening, done, published, etc. after a person has died
- He was awarded a posthumous medal for bravery.
- The posthumous publication of his final novel was very successful.
posthumously – adverb – after a person has died
- The author passed away in March but his last novel was published posthumously in September of that year.
postmodern – connected with or influenced by postmodernism
- The gallery was full of postmodern paintings from famous artists.
- The postmodern architecture of the building features asymmetrical shapes and unusual materials.
postnatural – used to describe organisms that have been intentionally altered by humans.
- It’s becoming more difficult the create vaccines that are effective against postnatural infections.
postnuclear – After the discovery of nuclear energy OR After a nuclear war.
- The story is about people trying to survive in a postnuclear world.
post-punk – Music – rock music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians moved away from the raw sounds of punk rock
I included this because I grew up in the 1980s. I listened to a lot of New Wave Music which came out of the Post-Punk movement.
- New Order was one of my favorite bands when I was in high school. They formed out of the post-punk group Joy Division.
| The post-punk scene in the early 80s was exciting. |
post-romantic – Art and Culture – refers to cultural attitudes coming from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, after the period of Romanticism
- Pyotr Tchaikovsky is a well-known Russian post-romantic composer.
- The Post-romantic period in music saw a return to emotional expression and individuality.
postseason – taking place after the end of the regular sports season, when teams play additional games to decide which team is best in a particular sport
- My brother is not a huge baseball fan, but he enjoys watching postseason games. They’re usually more exciting than the regular season games.
post-Soviet – This refers to the time after the Soviet Union ended its communist ideology and allowed many states to become independent from Russia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Soviet_states https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Soviet_conflicts
postsecondary – of, relating to, or being education following secondary school
- Postsecondary education refers to education beyond high school, such as college or vocational training.
- Many companies require their applicants to have some kind of postsecondary education.
posterior – located behind something or at the back of something
- Lance has to do rehabilitation to fix his posterior shoulder instability.
- The posterior part of the brain is responsible for processing visual information.
Word origin: early 16th cent. (as a plural noun denoting descendants): from Latin, comparative of posterus ‘following’, from post ‘after’.
post-truth – relating to circumstances in which people respond more to feelings and beliefs than to facts – Political –
- We’re living in a post-truth era my feelings are more important than facts.
- Post-truth politics is characterized by the use of emotional appeals and misinformation to influence public opinion.
post-war – existing, happening, or made in the period after a war, especially the Second World War
- The emperor lost all political and military power in post-war Japan.
- Much of Europe faced significant challenges in the post-war period, including rebuilding and economic recovery.
Post Prefix PDF
Review the great content of this post anytime you like offline with this helpful, printable PDF.
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