then
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.
being; being such; existing or being at the time indicated: the then prime minister.
that time: We have not been back since then.Till then, farewell.
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
1synonym study For then
Words that may be confused with then
- than, then
Words Nearby then
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use then in a sentence
So then-President George H.W. Bush and other prominent Republicans endorsed Treen in the House runoff.
MIAMI — Fidel Castro seized power in January 1959 after waging a guerilla war against then-dictator Fulgencio Batista.
I gave statements to then-Captain Michael Sheffield on several different occasions.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything | Liz Seccuro | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe certification, which lasts three years, was renewed by then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in 2012.
The Detainee Abuse Photos Obama Didn’t Want You To See | Noah Shachtman, Tim Mak | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe won an unprecedented pardon from then-President Karzai, and Gulnaz was freed.
England alone-then a comparatively weak and insignificant country-stood out against this overwhelming combination.
Is Ulster Right? | AnonymousDo we not see that it is highly requisite that a sweet girl should be now-and-then drawn aside by him?
Clarissa, Volume 6 (of 9) | Samuel RichardsonHave you now related all the conversation you had at that time with then-Vice President Johnson?
Warren Commission (7 of 26): Hearings Vol. VII (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President KennedyAnd what conversations, if any, did you have with then-Vice President Johnson?
Warren Commission (7 of 26): Hearings Vol. VII (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President KennedyWouldst find the fair lady Fate chooses for you?then search ye this line of wee pin-pricks clear through.
Suppers | Paul Pierce
British Dictionary definitions for then
/ (ðɛn) /
at that time; over that period of time
(sentence modifier) in that case; that being so: then 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)
after that; with that: then John left the room and didn't return
that time: before then; from then on
(prenominal) existing, functioning, etc, at that time: the then prime minister
Origin of then
1Collins 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
In addition to the idioms beginning with then
- then again
- then and there
also see:
- and then some
- every now and then
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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