then
then Lexical Profile
then Game Scores & Validity
• adverb
At that time, either in the past or in the future.
"She was living in Chicago then, working at a local publishing house."
Next in order of time or place; afterward.
"Finish your homework first, and then you can watch television."
In that case; as a necessary consequence or logical result.
"If the train is delayed, then we will have to take a taxi to the airport."
In addition; besides; moreover.
"The apartment is spacious, and then there is the convenient proximity to the subway."
• noun
That time or moment (used especially as the object of a preposition).
"We have not heard any news from the expedition since then."
• adjective
Being so or holding an office at the time in question.
"The treaty was negotiated and signed by the then prime minister."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently confused with the conjunction and preposition 'than'. Use 'then' to indicate time, sequence, or logical consequence (e.g., 'We ate dinner, and then we left'), whereas 'than' is used strictly for comparisons (e.g., 'She is taller than her brother').
• Rhymes for then
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'þanne' or 'þonne' ('at that time, next, therefore'), derived from the Proto-Germanic demonstrative stem '*tha-' ('that'). Historically, 'then' and 'than' were spelling variants of the same word before their meanings diverged in Modern English.