hither

[ hith -er ]

/ ˈhɪð ər /

adverb

to or toward this place: to come hither.

adjective

being on this or the closer side; nearer: the hither side of the meadow.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for hither

hither and thither, in various quarters; here and there: They scurried hither and thither to escape the rain.

hither and yon, from here to over there, especially to a farther place; in or to a great many places: He looked hither and yon for the coin. She went hither and yon in search of an answer.

Origin of hither

before 900; Middle English, Old English hider; cognate with Old Norse hethra, Latin citer on this side

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hither

hence hither thence thither whence whither yon (see usage note at whence)

Words nearby hither

hitchcock chair, hitchcock, alfred, hitchhike, hitching post, hitchings, hither, hither and thither, hithermost, hitherto, hitherward, hitler

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for hither and thither

hither

/ (ˈhɪðə) /

adverb

to or towards this place (esp in the phrase come hither)Also (archaic): hitherward, hitherwards

hither and thither this way and that, as in a state of confusion

adjective

archaic, or dialect (of a side or part, esp of a hill or valley) nearer; closer

Word Origin for hither

Old English hider; related to Old Norse hethra here, Gothic hidrē, Latin citrā on this side, citrō

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with hither and thither

hither and thither

Also, hither and yon. Here and there, as in I've been wandering about, hither and thither, or Ruth went hither and yon, searching for her sister. These old words for “here” and “there” are rarely heard outside these expressions, which themselves may be dying out. [c. a.d. 725]