since

[sins]

adverb

1. from then till now (often preceded byever ).

   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

See as ¹.

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

That was memorable for another reason, since producers cut the sound so the home audience wouldn’t hear the diehard Philadelphia Eagles fan declare, “Go Birds, f**k ICE and free Palestine.”

From Salon

The relationship between Israel and Spain has been fragile since late 2023, when Sánchez expressed concerns about civilian deaths in Gaza and some members of his government at the time called for diplomatic relations to be severed.

From BBC

They mark his first open market stock purchases since 2020 and a sign of his investment in the firm, which has been on the defensive this year.

From BBC

Tension has been high between the two countries since the US deployed warships to the Southern Caribbean on what officials said were counter-narcotics operations.

From BBC

He said that maritime traffic in the Southern Caribbean had reduced significantly "since the first strike".

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.