then

 
Pronunciation: /ðɛn/

adverb

  • 1at that time; at the time in question: I was living in Cairo then [after preposition]: Phoebe by then was exhausted [as adjective]: he accepted a peerage from the then Prime Minister, Edward Heath
  • 2after that; next; afterwards: she won the first and then the second game
  • also; in addition: I’m paid a generous salary, and then there’s the money I’ve made at the races
  • 3in that case; therefore: if you do what I tell you, then there’s nothing to worry about well, that’s okay then
  • used at the end of a sentence to emphasize an inference being drawn: so you’re still here then
  • used to finish off a conversation: see you in an hour then

Phrases

then and there

immediately: she made up her mind then and there

Origin:

Old English thænne, thanne, thonne, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dan and German dann, also to that and the

Grammar

This has three uses: adverb: I didn’t know it then, but I know it now. conjunction: The President spoke and spoke well, then sat down. adjective (less common): The advice on bending the rules came from the then Defence Minister, Alan Clark.