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then
[ then ]
adverb
- at that time:
Prices were lower then.
- immediately or soon afterward:
The rain stopped and then started again.
- next in order of time:
We ate, then we started home.
- at the same time:
At first the water seemed blue, then gray.
- next in order of place:
Standing beside Charlie is my uncle, then my cousin, then my brother.
- in addition; besides; also:
I love my job, and then it pays so well.
- in that case; as a consequence; in those circumstances:
If you're sick, then you should stay in bed.
- since that is so; as it appears; therefore:
You have, then, found the mistake?
You are leaving tonight then.
adjective
- being; being such; existing or being at the time indicated:
the then prime minister.
noun
- that time:
We have not been back since then.
Till then, farewell.
then
/ ðɛn /
adverb
- at that time; over that period of time
- sentence modifier in that case; that being so
go on then, take it
if he comes, then you'll have to leave
then why don't you ask her?
- then and thereSee there
sentence connector
- after that; with that
then John left the room and didn't return
noun
- that time
before then
from then on
adjective
- prenominal existing, functioning, etc, at that time
the then prime minister
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of then1
Idioms and Phrases
- but then, but on the other hand:
I found their conversation very dull, but then I have different tastes.
- then and there, at that precise time and place; at once; on the spot: Also there and then.
I started to pack my things right then and there.
More idioms and phrases containing then
- and then some
- every now and then
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Though they largely put down the putsch, many then turned their wrath on Alawites, a largely impoverished minority that constitutes some 10% of the country’s population and which dominated Assad-era security services and state bureaucracy.
He envisions people, for example, visiting a gym, followed by a cold plunge or massage and then finishing up with a healthy meal all in walking distance.
Getting sober then compelled him to focus on his mental health.
She said her partner then had to look for work at the same time as supporting her.
Since then, a subsequent series of The Traitors has been broadcast.
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Then Vs. Than
What’s the difference between then and than?
Then is a very common word that’s used in situations involving what comes next—either in terms of time (as in Just then, the door opened or We saw a movie and then we drove home) or a result (as in If you forget to water the plants, then they will wilt). Than is a very common word used in comparisons, as in She’s a little older than you or This hot sauce is a lot spicier than that one.
Grammatically speaking, then is used as an adverb or adjective, while than is used as a conjunction or preposition.
Perhaps the most common way the two words are confused is when then is used when it should be than, but doing the reverse is also a common mistake.
One way to tell if you’re using the right word is to remember that then is usually used to indicate what comes next, and then and next are both spelled with the letter e.
Here’s an example of then and than used correctly in the same sentence.
Example: If you want to be an expert, then you’ll need more experience than you have now.
Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between then and than.
Quiz yourself on then vs. than!
Should then or than be used in the following sentence?
I went to the grocery store, _____ the dry cleaners.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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