then

1. 1
   next (in time)adverb

   Next, or after that, in time or in order.

   We had dinner and then watched a film.

   Boil the water, then add the rice.

   UsageOften and then: had dinner and then watched a film. Do not confuse it with than in comparisons.

   Similarnext, afterward, later

   Note

   Narrative and instruction both run on it: first be reconciled, and then come. It chains easily, which is why directions lean on it (turn left, then right, then right again). Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • The illustrative wording is an abridged echo of Matthew 5:24, rather than a verbatim quotation of the whole passage. en.wikisource.org
2. 2
   in that caseadverb

   In that case, or that being so.

   If nobody objects, then the motion is carried.

   So you're staying, then?

   UsageOften after an if clause, if ..., then ..., or at the end of a question: What shall I cook, then?

   Similartherefore

   Note

   Logic borrows the word to pair with if: if it's locked, then we'll need the key. The consequence follows the condition the way one event follows another. Fitzgerald's "Open then the Door!" sets it mid-clause, a placement now heard mostly in older or poetic English. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • “Open then the Door!” occurs in Edward FitzGerald’s English translation of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, with “then” inside the clause. The speakers are those standing outside the tavern. rpo.library.utoronto.ca
3. 3
   at that timeadverb

   At that time, a time already mentioned or understood.

   Prices were much lower then.

   We didn't know each other then.

   UsageOften back then for a time in the past: we lived in Ohio back then.

   Similarformerly, previously, before

   Oppositenow

   Note

   At heart it is a pointing word. It always needs a time already in view, named earlier or understood, to point at. Joined by a hyphen it can date a description, as in the then-recent assassinations, a habit it shares with the adjective use.

4. 4
   noununcountable

   That time, used after a preposition.

   By then the shops had closed.

   We have not seen him since then.

   UsageAfter a preposition: by then, since then, until then, from then on.

   Oppositenow

5. 5
   adjective

   Being so at that time, used before a title or role that has since changed.

   The report was signed by the then chief executive.

   Her then husband ran the shop.

   UsageBefore a capitalized title it is usually hyphenated, then-President; before an ordinary noun it often stays open: his then girlfriend.

   Similarformer, erstwhile, onetime, previous

   Oppositecurrent, present

   Note

   Here the adverb is frozen in front of a noun to say "who was at that time."

6. 6
   howeveradverb

   At the same time, or on the other hand, used in but then or then again to balance a remark.

   She's a slow reader, but then, she remembers every detail of what she reads.

   Then again, we could just stay at home.

   Similarhowever, alternatively

7. 7
   in additionadverb

   In addition, besides, or also, used to add a further point.

   The flat is cold and damp, and then there is the rent to think about.

   And then there is the question of money.

   UsageUsually in and then there is or then there's: and then there's the rent.

   Similarbesides, also, moreover, furthermore, additionally

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