Slang
Arvo
By EasySay. Published . Updated .
Arvo is the short, friendly word for afternoon.
Examples are this arvo, Saturday arvo and see you this arvo, about the hours between lunch and dinner. Cambridge labels it informal Australian English, and Longman labels it AusE informal. In a letter or an email to a customer, write afternoon.
Written for EasySay, in our own words.
Arvo: what it is, and what it is not
- IS
- Afternoon, said the short way.
- IS
- Labelled informal Australian English by Cambridge, and AusE informal by Longman.
- IS NOT
- For a letter or an email to a customer: write afternoon there.
Safe to say
Meaning: Afternoon.
How do people say it?
I'll call you this arvo.
Are you free on Saturday arvo?
What should I know?
- Who can say it
- Informal, so in a letter or an email to a customer, write afternoon.
- Where you hear it
- Australia
- Elsewhere you might say
- UK and US: afternoon. Neither has a common short form.
Arvo is the word afternoon with a small o on the end of a shortened shape, a pattern many Australian words follow.
It names the time between lunch and the evening meal, roughly from noon until the light starts to fade. It sits where afternoon would sit, so you can say good arvo, this arvo or every Sunday arvo. It is not a person or a place.
Say it freely when you talk. Cambridge labels it informal Australian English, and Longman labels it AusE informal.
In writing, choose afternoon for anything formal, like a letter, a contract or an email to a customer you have not met. A friendly message to a workmate, such as coffee this arvo, is fine.
A tradie phones to say, I'll be there Thursday arvo. A teacher reminds the class that sports day is this arvo. A neighbour calls over the fence, see you Sunday arvo for the barbie.
In each case a time is being named. The word is only a shorter way to say afternoon, so the time of day does not change.
The standard word is afternoon, and the dictionaries label arvo as informal and Australian. You will meet similar short forms in Australia for other words, such as brekkie for breakfast and sunnies for sunglasses. A good way to practise is to learn two or three and use them after people around you have used them first.
What else can I say?
- No worries It is fine; do not worry about it.
- Ute A small truck with an open back for carrying things.
More examples
- Confirming a time:
The delivery comes tomorrow arvo.
Questions people ask
What does arvo mean?
Arvo means afternoon. Examples are this arvo, Sunday arvo or good arvo, for the hours between lunch and dinner.
Can I write arvo in an email?
Only to people you know well. In an email to a customer, a boss you have just met, or a letter, write afternoon.
What is the standard word for arvo?
The standard word is afternoon. Cambridge labels arvo informal Australian English, and Longman labels it AusE informal.
Sources and dates
- EasySay's own writing for the Australian slang hub, EasySay. Licence: original writing for EasySay. Checked .
- Cambridge Dictionary: usage labels, Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Licence: our own words, from the facts in the source. Checked .
- Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: usage labels, Pearson Education. Licence: our own words, from the facts in the source. Checked .
Cite this page
EasySay. "Arvo". https://easysay.org/slang/australian/arvo. Last updated 23 October 2026.
https://easysay.org/slang/australian/arvo