then

[ then ]

/ ðɛn /

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See synonyms for then on Thesaurus.com

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.

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Idioms about then

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: I started to pack my things right then and there.Also there and then.

Origin of then

before 900; Middle English then(ne), than(n)e,Old English thonne, thanne, thænne;cf. than; akin to that

synonym study for then

8. See therefore.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH then

than, then

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use then in a sentence

I forget him most of the time, but nows and thens he speaks up and gives me to understand he's there all right.
Pippin; A Wandering Flame|Laura E. Richards
I come here and prayed, nows and thens, when I thought maybe a Sunday would be about doo.
Treasure Island|Robert Louis Stevenson
And "whane he sawe them commynge, he wolde gladly have ben thens."
Highways and Byways in The Border|Andrew Lang
All the story was dragged from him by reiterated "And thens—?"
A Young Man's Year|Anthony Hope

She went fest, I do sepose to Olyhed, and thens to Liverpule in one of them pakkats.
Willing to Die|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for then

then

/ (ðɛn) /

adverb

at that time; over that period of time

(sentence modifier) in that case; that being sothen why don't you ask her?; if he comes, then you'll have to leave; go on then, take it

then and there See there (def. 6)

sentence connector

after that; with thatthen John left the room and didn't return

noun

that timebefore then; from then on

adjective

(prenominal) existing, functioning, etc, at that timethe then prime minister

Word Origin for then

Old English thenne; related to Old Saxon, Old High German thanna; see than

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with then

then

In addition to the idioms beginning with then

then again
then and there

also see:

and then some
every now and then

then

Idioms about then

Origin of then

synonym study for then

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH then

Words related to then

How to use then in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for then

Word Origin for then

Other Idioms and Phrases with then