then and there

Idioms

Also, there and then. At that precise time and place; on the spot. For example, When the board questioned his judgment again, he resigned then and there. The first term was first recorded in 1442, the variant in 1496.

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.

We decide then and there to do his story.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025

I went into the meeting prepared to audition if I had to at that moment, and he offered me the role then and there.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2024

I mean, there were no cell phones back then and there was no social media, so that alone changed everything.

From Salon • Sep. 7, 2024

Order him to sack a minister or an army general, and he’s unlikely to agree to it then and there.

From BBC • May 23, 2024

I decided I had to take a chance right then and there, so I got my notebook and let him read that bit where Cady and Hans talk about God.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023