hence
Americanadverb
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as an inference from this fact; for this reason; therefore.
The eggs were very fresh and hence satisfactory.
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from this time; from now.
They will leave a month hence.
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from this source or origin.
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Archaic.
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from this place; from here; away.
The inn is but a quarter mile hence.
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from this world or from the living.
After a long, hard life they were taken hence.
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henceforth; from this time on.
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interjection
adverb
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from this time
a year hence
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archaic
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from here or from this world; away
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from this origin or source
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interjection
Etymology
Origin of hence
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English hens, hennes, equivalent to henne ( Old English heonan ) + -es adverb suffix; see -s 1
Explanation
Hence means "for this reason," or "therefore." One Hollywood starlet is a huge fan of tiny dogs, hence the Pomeranian puppy peeking out of her purse. Hence not only means "therefore." It can also mean forward from this time. Nine months hence, a baby that has just been conceived will enter the world kicking and screaming. These days, you're more likely to hear the word hence in a movie set a hundred years ago than in casual conversation because it has a very old-fashioned ring to it.
Vocabulary lists containing hence
"The Road Not Taken"
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 2
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We Dream of Space
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Taiwanese divers call it 'sesame' in Chinese and it is also small like a sesame seed, hence the name," the research team explained.
From Science Daily • May 27, 2026
Bicycle parts were of particular interest, hence the tented “bike shops,” with piles of disassembled parts, so common in L.A. encampments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
"The world is becoming more brutal and more fragmented, hence why we need more international cooperation," Arnaud Suquet, France's ambassador to Kenya, told Kenyan channel NTV on Friday.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
He added: “The most obvious way to improve job growth, and hence population growth, is by attracting and retaining quality businesses.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
He also likes to add his own flourishes, hence all the poetry—right now it’s Wordsworth and Emily Dickinson and Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
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.
