than

[ than, then; unstressed thuhn, uhn ]

conjunction

1. (used, as after comparative adjectives and adverbs, to introduce the second member of an unequal comparison):

   She's taller than I am.

2. (used after some adverbs and adjectives expressing choice or diversity, such as other, otherwise, else, anywhere, or different, to introduce an alternative or denote a difference in kind, place, style, identity, etc.):

   I had no choice other than that. You won't find such freedom anywhere else than in this country.

3. (used to introduce the rejected choice in expressions of preference):

   I'd rather walk than drive there.

4. except; other than:

   We had no choice than to return home.

5. when:

   We had barely arrived than we had to leave again.

preposition

1. in relation to; by comparison with (usually followed by a pronoun in the objective case):

   He is a person than whom I can imagine no one more courteous.

than

/ ðən; ðæn /

conjunction

1. used to introduce the second element of a comparison, the first element of which expresses difference

   shorter than you

   couldn't do otherwise than love him

   he swims faster than I run

2. used after adverbs such as rather or sooner to introduce a rejected alternative in an expression of preference

   rather than be imprisoned, I shall die

3. other than
   other than besides; in addition to

Usage

In formal English, than is usually regarded as a conjunction governing an unexpressed verb: he does it far better than I ( do ). The case of any pronoun therefore depends on whether it is the subject or object of the unexpressed verb: she likes him more than I ( like him ); she likes him more than ( she likes ) me . However in ordinary speech and writing than is usually treated as a preposition and is followed by the object form of a pronoun: my brother is younger than me

Grammar Note

Whether than is to be followed by the objective or subjective case of a pronoun is much discussed in usage guides. When, as a conjunction, than introduces a subordinate clause, the case of any pronouns following than is determined by their function in that clause: He is younger than I am. I like her better than I like him. When than is followed only by a pronoun or pronouns, with no verb expressed, the usual advice for determining the case is to form a clause mentally after than to see whether the pronoun would be a subject or an object. Thus, the sentences He was more upset than I and She gave him more sympathy than I are to be understood, respectively, as He was more upset than I was and She gave him more sympathy than I gave him. In the second sentence, the use of the objective case after than ( She gave him more sympathy than me ) would produce a different meaning ( She gave him more sympathy than she gave me ). This method of determining the case of pronouns after than is generally employed in formal speech and writing. Than occurs as a preposition in the old and well-established construction than whom : a musician than whom none is more expressive. In informal, especially uneducated, speech and writing, than is usually treated as a preposition and followed by the objective case of the pronoun: He is younger than me. She plays better poker than him, but you play even better than her. but ¹, different, me.

Word History and Origins

Origin of than¹

before 900; Middle English, Old English than ( ne ) than, then, when, variant (in special senses) of thonne then; cognate with German dann then, denn than, Dutch dan then, than

Word History and Origins

Origin of than¹

Old English thanne; related to Old Saxon, Old High German thanna; see then

Idioms and Phrases

see actions speak louder than words ; bark is worse than one's bite ; better late than never ; better safe than sorry ; better than ; bite off more than one can chew ; blood is thicker than water ; easier said than done ; eyes are bigger than one's stomach ; in (less than) no time ; irons in the fire, more than one ; less than ; more dead than alive ; more fun than a barrel of monkeys ; more in sorrow than in anger ; more often than not ; more sinned against than sinning ; more than meets the eye ; more than one bargained for ; more than one can shake a stick at ; more than one way to skin a cat ; none other than ; no sooner said than done ; other than ; quicker than you can say Jack Robinson ; wear another (more than one) hat .

Example Sentences

And yet as Robert Ward discovered, Marvin—for all of his larger-than-life machismo—was surprising in real life.

From The Daily Beast

My younger, straighter-than-an-arrow son was stopped and arrested in two separate jurisdictions a few years ago.

From The Daily Beast

He was the larger-than-the-life figure, and he loomed impossibly large over this campaign.

From The Daily Beast

Barack Obama is in for a rougher-than-usual couple of months.

From The Daily Beast

Kim is mocking the entire value system on which she built her career, as well as her own less-than-savory past.

From The Daily Beast

Jack probably learned more about the Bible during that trip-its history and its heroes-than during all his former years.

From Project Gutenberg

"The Wright brothers invented the lighter-than-air ship early in the twentieth century," he said.

From Project Gutenberg

Rugel told him that this was the moment of equilibrium, the peak of the faster-than-light motion.

From Project Gutenberg

The competitor who paid the less-than-carload rate on an equal volume of business would be sadly handicapped.

From Project Gutenberg

Altogether, it was not until the nineteenth century that any real progress toward flight in a heavier-than-air machine was made.

From Project Gutenberg

Than Vs. Then

What’s the difference between than and then?

Than is a very common word used in comparisons, as in She’s a little older than you or This hot sauce is a lot spicier than that one. Then is a very common word that’s used in situations involving what comes next—either in terms of time (as in Just then, the door opened or We saw a movie and then we drove home) or a result (as in If you forget to water the plants, then they will wilt).

Grammatically speaking, than is used as a conjunction or preposition, while then is used as an adverb or adjective.

Perhaps the most common way the two words are confused is when then is used when it should be than, but doing the reverse is also a common mistake.

One way to tell if you’re using the right word is to remember that then is usually used to indicate what comes next, and then and next are both spelled with the letter e.

Here’s an example of then and than used correctly in the same sentence.

Example: If you want to be an expert, then you’ll need more experience than you have now.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between than and then.

Quiz yourself on than vs. then!

Should than or then be used in the following sentence?

I went to the grocery store, _____ the dry cleaners.