since

[ sins ]

adverb

1. from then till now (often preceded by ever ):

   He was elected in 1978 and has been president ever since.

2. between a particular past time and the present; subsequently:

   She at first refused, but has since consented.

3. before now; ago:

   long since.

preposition

1. continuously from or counting from:

   It has been warm since noon.

2. between a past time or event and the present:

   There have been many changes since the war.

conjunction

1. in the period following the time when:

   He has written once since he left.

2. continuously from or counting from the time when:

   He has been busy since he came.

3. because; inasmuch as:

   Since you're already here, you might as well stay.

since

/ sɪns /

preposition

1. during or throughout the period of time after

   since May it has only rained once

conjunction

1. sometimes preceded by ever continuously from or starting from the time when

   since we last met, important things have happened

2. seeing that; because

   since you have no money, you can't come

adverb

1. since that time

   he left yesterday and I haven't seen him since

Usage Note

See as ¹.

Usage

See ago

Word History and Origins

Origin of since¹

First recorded in 1400–50; Late Middle English (adverb) syns, sinnes “thereupon, afterwards,” Middle English (adverb and conjunction) sithenes “afterwards, from (the specified time), because,” equivalent to sithen “after that, since” ( Old English siththan, originally sīth thām “after that”) + -es; sith, -s ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of since¹

Old English sīththan, literally: after that; related to Old High German sīd since, Latin sērus late

Idioms and Phrases

see greatest thing since sliced bread .

Example Sentences

County workers have been processing and counting ballots every day since Nov. 6, the day after election day, except for Thanksgiving, according to Sanchez.

From Los Angeles Times

Nowhere has the latter been more evident than in Israeli-occupied Palestine, including Gaza especially, where RSF reported a “record number of violations against journalists and the media” since October 2023, including the killing of Palestinian journalists by Israel Defense Forces.

From Salon

Since the error, the hat has been removed from the Sports Direct website, but the £6 beanie is still available to purchase in store.

From BBC

Chelsea have spent more than £1.5bn since the Clearlake takeover - largely on younger players on longer contracts - albeit balanced by substantial sales.

From BBC

Since taking over in June, the two bosses have faced a number of difficult moments.

From BBC

Related Words

• afterward
• ago
• already
• later
• therefore

When To Use

What are other ways to say since?

The conjunction since means “because” or “inasmuch as.” How is it different from because, as, for, and inasmuch as? Find out on Thesaurus.com.